On Sunday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian team for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa at home. The new selection committee led by Sunil Joshi has decided to recalled fit-again, all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and opener Shikhar Dhawan in their first task since appointment.
The ODI series is scheduled to be played between March 12 and 18. Virat Kohli will be leading the 15-member Indian squad for the South Africa series. This is the 1st time the new selection panel led by Sunil Joshi has picked the India team. Joshi and Harvinder Singh were added to the 5-member panel earlier this month by the Cricket Advisory Committee.
ALSO READ: Brett Lee Has a Say On India And Australia Final Clash
Pandya underwent lower back surgery in October 2019 and hasn’t played international cricket at all since the third T20I against the Proteas in Bengaluru in September last year. However, Hardik has now proven his fitness and form in the DY Patil T20 tournament, rattling off scores of 46, 105, 38 and 158*.
Talking about Hardik, one of the sources of India Today said, “He is fit and is set to return to the national team. Having first undergone rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and now his performance in the T20 tournament has pretty much made it clear that he is fit to return to the fold.”
ALSO READ: MSK Prasad Knows The Future Of MS Dhoni During His Tenure?
Shikhar Dhawan, who had sustained a shoulder injury during the ODI series against Australia, was back in action in the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai. Apart from him, Bbhuvneshawr also had a decent outing in the domestic T20 tournament after going through a surgery of his hernia.
India squad for the South Africa series: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill.
#TeamIndia for 3-match ODI series against SA – Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill. pic.twitter.com/HD53LRAhoh
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2020
