India announces squad for T20 series against South Africa; MS Dhoni excluded

The BCCI, on Thursday, announced the Indian squad for the T20 series against South Africa. The first T20 is scheduled for 15th September at the HPCA stadium in Himachal Pradesh.

The team, led by Virat Kohli, is followed by Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini.

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The exclusion, which came as surprise, was that of former Captain and wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni. MS last played the semifinal of the 2019 Cricket World Cup against New Zealand and had taken a break from cricket to serve the Territorial army in Kashmir.

Ace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar were rested as India's search for a backup bowler continue with the likes of Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar, as the T20 World Cup begins in November this of year in Australia.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya made a comeback into the side after being rested for the ongoing Windies Tour due to niggle and his continuous workload.

Team India is currently on a tour to the West Indies, as the second and final test against them begins tomorrow.