India Announces Squad for T20I Series Against South Africa

India's cricket governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has revealed the squad for the forthcoming five-match T20 International series against South Africa, set to commence on December 9 in Cuttack.

The announcement marks the return of vice-captain Shubman Gill, who has been out of action due to injury, missing both a portion of the Test series and the entire One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa. His inclusion in the squad is contingent upon receiving fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.

In another positive development for the Indian team, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is back after a lengthy absence since the Asia Cup held in September. Pandya missed the subsequent ODI series in Australia and is now working on regaining his match fitness ahead of the T20I series.

The squad will see a few notable omissions, including batsman Rinku Singh and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Rinku participated only in the fifth T20I against Australia but did not get a chance to bat due to the match being abandoned after just 4.5 overs. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy played in two ODIs during the tour.

The bowling department will be spearheaded by the experienced Jasprit Bumrah, who returns after being rested for the ODI series against South Africa. The series serves as essential preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to begin on February 7, 2026.

The complete lineup for the T20I series includes: - Suryakumar Yadav (Captain) - Shubman Gill (Vice-Captain)* - Abhishek Sharma - Tilak Varma - Hardik Pandya - Shivam Dube - Axar Patel - Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper) - Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper) - Jasprit Bumrah - Varun Chakaravarthy - Arshdeep Singh - Kuldeep Yadav - Harshit Rana - Washington Sundar

(*Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI’s Centre of Excellence) The series will conclude on December 19 in Ahmedabad, with both teams keen to fine-tune their squads ahead of the major tournament.