Mumbai: India has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming four-match T20I series in South Africa, scheduled to begin on November 8 in Durban. The team includes new comers all-rounder Ramandeep Singh and fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak, marking promising additions as India builds towards future fixtures.
Some players from India’s recent T20I series against Bangladesh, including Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Reddy, are absent as they head to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Filling their spots, spin-bowling allrounder Axar Patel and pacers Yash Dayal and Avesh Khan have joined the lineup for South Africa.
Three players, Mayank Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag, were unavailable for selection. Parag is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence to address a persistent shoulder injury. Mayank Yadav, a fast bowler who made his debut against Bangladesh after a strong IPL season, is recovering from an injury sustained midway through the IPL. Meanwhile, Shivam Dube, who missed the Bangladesh series due to a back injury, continues his recovery process.
Ramandeep Singh, who hails from Punjab, has been performing with India A in the Emerging T20 Asia Cup and was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL-winning squad in 2024. Known for his fielding abilities, he averages just under 23 in T20s with a strike rate above 168 and has claimed 16 wickets. Vyshak, the uncapped Karnataka fast bowler, brings his experience from two IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he took 42 wickets in 30 T20 matches with an impressive average of 20.88.
Full Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), 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.