Picture Credit: Twitter
With the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) successfully completed, the focus now shifts to India’s international fixtures. India's first assignment after the IPL is going to be a T20I series against South Africa. The Men in Blue will play South Africa for five T20Is between 9 and 19 June across five different venues.
The Board of Control for India (BCCI) has picked a relatively young squad (without big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah) for the home series which will be led by KL Rahul. The first T20I is now just three days away and both teams are sweating it out before the encounter takes place on Thursday.
KL Rahul-led India are all geared up and took their first training session on Monday. The team has shared a video on their official handles where coach Rahul Dravid is seen addressing the players in a huddle. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik, and others are seen attentively listening to Dravid.
Watch the video here:
All eyes on young guns!
While there are a few proven match-winners in the squad, a few fresh faces have also been included in the squad. Pace bowling sensation Umran Malik and left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh are the two notable names that will have all the eyeballs on them when they take center stage. Although a place for them is not guaranteed in the playing eleven straight away, both players will be itching to don the national jersey and bring out the best whenever they get a chance.
Apart from youngsters, two more players will be in focus when the series begins on June 9. All-rounder Hardik Pandya who is making a comeback into the national setup and veteran wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik will have people’s attention when they take the field in the 1st T20I. Both these players are coming on the back of a prolific run in IPL 2022.