(Cricket news) The IPL league stage has just been completed and the playoffs are about to start. In the midst of it the BCCI have announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming 5 match T20I series against South Africa. The 5 matches will be played at Lucknow, Cuttack, Vizag, Rajkot and Benguluru. This will be the first of 4 T20I series India will play before the T20I World Cup in Australia. BCCI also named the squad for the 5th Test against England which is why some of the key players are not a part of the T20I squad. 

Squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik

The inclusion of white ball specialist who have been a part of the set up i.e Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel was not a surprise. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were chosen to lead the side and were not rested despite being in the Test squad as was Shreyas Iyer. The likelihood is that the trio will be rested for the England whiteball series which is due to start on 7th July. Axar Patel, who was a regular member of the Test side is in this squad but surprisingly isn't in the Test squad.

After a successful IPL campaign, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik have made a return to the squad. Describing Pandya's inclusion as a return isn't the best way to put it as he missed just 3 T20I series reportedly because he wanted to regain his bowling fitness. Pandya has shown his class with bat and ball in the IPL this season with an added touch of amazing captaincy. His bowling fitness is still a question mark as he has bowled in a few games and not in some. Pandya's return to the squad is absolutely key for India but he will have to start firing straight away. 

Dinesh Karthik inclusion on the other hand is a comeback and a remarkable one. The keeper hasn't played an international game since the 2019 World Cup while his last T20I game was also in 2019. This season, he has proven that he is the best finisher India has and has made his way back into the squad. IPL form won't matter if Karthik under-performs with India, therefore this particular series will be very crucial for him. There is no real competition for Karthik in the finishers role as the players India has used as finishers play different roles for their IPL franchisees.

Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik have been handed maiden international call-ups. Both the seamers have had amazing IPL seasons and all the fans as the experts have demanded their inclusion. Arshdeep is a death bowler and will have competition from Harshal Patel for that role. Umran on the other hand has a huge advantage as no one in India and even the world can match his consistent and fierce pace. There is a strong chance that both of them may not get a game in this series especially if the series is a tight one but their call-up in itself is a good step.

The notable players who have missed out on a call-up are Shikhar Dhawan, Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi. While Dhawan and Samson have been a part of the set-up, Tripathi has never got a call-up despite consistent domestic performances. The Indian squad already has 4 wicket keeping options in Pant, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik therefore  Samson's inclusion is understandable. It appears that India have moved past Dhawan in T20Is and Tests. Tripathi may have to wait for the Ireland series for his call-up. Washington Sundar who has been in the set-up is also not in the squad which could be due to his injury issues.

BCCI usually mentions in their statements about players who have been rested which is not the case this time. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have definitely been rested. It is unclear whether Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have been rested or dropped because both of them didn't have the best of IPLs and are also in the Test squads. Mohammed Shami hasn't played a white ball game since the 2021 T20 World Cup and every squad announcement except the latest have mentioned that he is rested. His IPL performances definitely proves that he deserves to be in the T20I squad.

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