This time the IPL tournament became memorable for the new cricketers. Showing a strong game in this short format of cricket gave some players an opportunity to join the Indian team. That is, his lucrative performance has been rewarded in a big way. India has named such youngsters in the team for the upcoming domestic T20 cricket series against South Africa.
The selection committee has also selected India’s 17-man Test squad for the rescheduled Test against England to be played at Edgbaston from July 1. Several players from the first team will be rested to prepare for the England tour. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested, so many new faces have got a chance in the team.
Some of the best performers in the current edition of the IPL have been included in the squad including 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, young pacer Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik. The series against South Africa will provide an opportunity to set these players in the future as India look to test team building plans for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year.
Meanwhile, Umran Malik has made headlines for the Hyderabad-based franchise with his speed of the bat consistently exceeding 150 kmph. Arshdeep Singh is another young fast bowler who has impressed. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has emerged as an affordable death overs specialist for Punjab Kings.
Despite not having a very good tournament, Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer also retained their place in the team. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have also been included in the squad on the basis of their performances for Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
India will begin their five-match T20I series against South Africa in Delhi on June 9, with the final match being played in Bengaluru on June 19.
T20 squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (captain-wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
Cheteshwar Pujara returned to the Indian squad for the rescheduled Test in England, who was dropped for their last series against Sri Lanka.
Pujara has made his way back into the squad after a stellar performance in the County Championship Division 2 for Sussex. He is among the top five cricketers with the most runs in the tournament.
The Test list also includes fast bowler Pranbhav Krishna, who has performed well in the white-ball format for India. Test Squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami , Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Famous Krishna.