Overview:
India will also rely on Abhishek Sharma for explosive starts and Jasprit Bumrah for wickets.
The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa will start on December 9 in Cuttack. The action will then shift to New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad on December 11, 14, 17 and 19, respectively.
The BCCI announced the 15-player team to take on the Proteas. The return of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya is a big boost for the Men in Blue. India will also rely on Abhishek Sharma for explosive starts and Jasprit Bumrah for wickets.
Here is the list of key players
Abhishek Sharma: He has been magnificent as an opener in the shortest format of the game, scoring 1012 runs in 29 matches at an average of 37.48 and a strike rate of 189.51. Abhishek Sharma has hit 2 hundreds, 6 fifties, 96 fours and 66 sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav: The India captain has been struggling to score runs for a long time, but he is still one of the best batters in T20Is. The veteran of 95 matches has amassed 2754 runs at an average of 36.72 and a strike rate of 164.41. Suryakumar Yadav has hit 4 hundreds, 21 fifties, 154 fours and 54 sixes.
Hardik Pandya: He is the most important player of Team India in white-ball cricket. He can bowl with the new ball and has a knack for taking wickets. Hardik Pandya can also chip in with the bat when needed. In 120 T20Is, he has scored 1860 runs at an average of 27.35 and a strike rate of 141.01. He has accumulated five fifties, 96 fours and 57 sixes. He has claimed 98 wickets at an average of 26.58 and an economy of 8.22.
Jasprit Bumrah: He was rested for the ODI series against South Africa to manage his workload. Jasprit Bumrah is a match-winner in T20Is. He has taken 99 wickets in 80 matches at an average of 18.11 and an economy of 6.36.
Surprises
The exclusion of Ricku Singh was the only surprising element. He has been warming the bench for some time and was dropped without any reason. The selection of the other players was on expected lines.