The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's squads for an all-format tour to South Africa. Amidst the team buildup for the T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian board made several key changes to the team that is taking on Australia and the team which will be locking horns with South Africa for the T20I series.
There are as many as four changes to the Indian squad for the South Africa series from the squad that is facing Australia currently. However, Suryakumar Yadav will continue to remain India's T20I captain for the series as Rohit Sharma has opted out from the white-ball leg of the tour and Hardik Pandya is injured.
Complete list of changes - Gill, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Siraj in
Four players - Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj have been added to the Indian team for the South Africa series. There have been four exclusions too. All-rounders Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, pacers Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan - all who are part of the Australia T20Is - have been dropped for the South Africa series.
Star opener Shubman Gill has returned to the shortest format and will be the fourth opening option for India in addition to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. He played in India's last T20I assignment before the World Cup 2023 against West Indies. Notably, Ravindra Jadeja, who is named as vice-captain for the series, returns to the shortest format after 15 months. He last played in the T20 Asia Cup in 2022.
Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj have also been recalled. Kuldeep played in the West Indies T20Is but was rested from the Australia T20Is after the World Cup. Siraj's last T20I game in Indian colours came in November 2022 when he was in India's touring party to New Zealand post the T20 World Cup.
Notably, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar, who were included in India's T20I squad for the final two T20Is, have also been named in the squad against South Africa. Iyer is also the vice-captain for the two T20Is against Australia, while Chahar comes in for Mukesh Kumar, who has left the Indian team for his marriage during the Australia series.
India's squad for Australia T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
India's squad for South Africa T20Is:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar
