Sanju Samson and Avesh Khan were selected in the Indian cricket team that will tour South Africa from November 8.
The BCCI selection committee, on Friday, named the 15-member squad, to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, that will play four T20Is in the rainbow nation next month.
The series will start with a T20 at Durban on November 8 with Gqeberha hosting the second match on November 10. The action moves to Centurion for the third T20 to be played on November 13 with the final T20I at Johannesburg on November 15.
Samson, the Rajasthan Royals captain, continued to be part of the T20 set up for India after recording the second fastest century by an Indian batter in the shortest format, in just 40 balls, in the third and final match against Bangladesh in Hyderabad earlier this month.
The wicketkeeper-batter was India’s top run-getter in the Bangladesh T20 series with a tally of 150 runs from three matches at an average of 50.00 and an astonishing strike rate of 205.47.
Meanwhile, Avesh, another Rajasthan Royals player, returns to the Indian team after his stint with the Men in Blue in the five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe in July. The pacer picked up six wickets from three matches at an impressive average of 13.83 picking up a wicket every 11 balls he bowled.
Riyan Parag, who was part of the Indian T20 team in their last three series’, missed out as he is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence for a chronic right shoulder injury. Fast bowler Mayank Yadav and Shivam Dube are also out with injuries.
Middle-order batter Ramandeep Singh and pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak received their maiden call-up to the Indian team as both found a place in the 15-member Indian team for the South Africa tour. Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who was part of the Indian Test team against Bangladesh, is also part of the squad.
Indian cricket team for South Africa T20 series 2024 - full squad
Indian cricket team: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
