On the eve of their much-anticipated tour to South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the T20 International squad, setting the stage for the battle that kicks off on December 10, 2023. Surprisingly, Rohit Sharma will not be leading the Indian T20 side, with Suryakumar Yadav retaining the captaincy after his impressive stint against Australia.
In a noteworthy return, Ravindra Jadeja has been named the vice-captain for the South Africa tour, making a comeback to the T20I format after more than a year. His inclusion comes at the expense of Axar Patel, who is currently engaged in the T20I series against Australia at home.
Adding firepower to the squad is Deepak Chahar, who makes a comeback to the national team after last donning the Indian colors in December 2022. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder finds a spot in both the white-ball squads, gearing up for the challenges in South Africa.
The T20I squad comprises a mix of experience and youth, featuring the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The batting unit also includes promising talents such as Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Ishan Kishan, who will take on the responsibility behind the stumps.
India’s T20I Squad for South Africa:
- Suryakumar Yadav (C)
- Ravindra Jadeja (VC)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Tilak Varma
- Rinku Singh
- Shreyas Iyer
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Washington Sundar
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mohd. Siraj
- Mukesh Kumar
- Deepak Chahar
The T20I series schedule is as follows:
- 1st T20I: December 10, 2023, at 9:30 PM IST in Kingsmead, Durban
- 2nd T20I: December 12, 2023, at 9:30 PM IST in St George’s Park, Gqeberha
- 3rd T20I: December 14, 2023, at 9:30 PM IST in New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Apart from the T20Is, India’s tour of South Africa includes three ODIs and two Test matches. The Test squad is led by Rohit Sharma, while the ODI team sees KL Rahul at the helm.
India’s Test Squad for South Africa:
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- Shubman Gill
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shardul Thakur
- Mohd. Siraj
- Mukesh Kumar
- Mohd. Shami*
- Jasprit Bumrah (VC)
- Prasidh Krishna
India’s ODI Squad for South Africa:
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Sai Sudharsan
- Tilak Varma
- Rajat Patidar
- Rinku Singh
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul (C) (wk)
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Mukesh Kumar
- Avesh Khan
- Arshdeep Singh
- Deepak Chahar
With an exciting mix of seasoned campaigners and emerging talents, Team India is all set to embark on a challenging tour, aiming for success across all formats in South Africa.