New Delhi: Suresh Raina was recalled to the Indian squad nearly after a year for the three-match T20 series against South Africa starting February 18 in Johannesburg.
Raina was also in top-form in the recently-concluded Super League of Syed Mushtaq Ali, smashing an unbeaten hundred and a couple of half centuries for Uttar Pradesh.
The southpaw had played his last international, a T20 match against England, in February 2017 before being sidelined due fitness issues. Passing the mandatory ‘Yo Yo’ test also paved the way for his return.
Familiar faces like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan were also back in the side after being rested for the last T20 series against Sri Lanka.
The crux of the ODI and T20 squad for the limited-overs matches in South Africa has been kept the same. However, the return of senior players means the likes of Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar and Basil Thampi will miss out who were part of the home series against Sri Lanka.
Pacer Jaydev Unadkat retains his place while left-arm spinner Axar Patel also made a comeback in the shortest format. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur has also been picked after earning a spot in the ODI squad for the six-match series starting February 1.
The squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.
press trust of india