The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for IND vs SA T20I series. With just 10 T20Is to go for the T20 World Cup 2026, there are no major surprises. Vice-captain Shubman Gill returns to the side after missing out on the ODI series due to a neck injury. However, his availability is subject to clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Hardik Pandya, who missed the Australia tour due to a quadricep injury, is also back after a successful recovery. The IND vs SA T20I series begins on December 9 in Cuttack.
Even though Rishabh Pant is fit, there is no place for him. The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI Selection Committee has kept their trust in Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. There is also no place for Nitish Kumar Reddy with Hardik Pandya making a return.
Among pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have company of Harshit Rana as the third pacer. But with Hardik fit, he will play the role of a second pacer in Indian conditions. That will allow the team management to consider an additional all-rounder in Shivam Dube.
India squad for IND vs SA T20I series
There were rumours of Riyan Parag making a comeback in India’s T20I squad. But with the countdown to the T20 World Cup 2026 on, the selectors have not made any mistakes. Instead, they have trusted the squad that has been playing constantly since the last T20 WC.
With Abhishek Sharma in form, there will be a lot of eyeballs on Shubman Gill. The newly-appointed vice-captain of T20I side scored 37 off 20, 5 off 10, 15 off 12, 46 off 39 and 29 off 16 in the five matches in Australia. With the next 10 matches in India, Gill has a chance to silence his critics with some good scores.
There will also be a question mark on Sanju Samson, who was benched for Jitesh Sharma after the first two T20Is. Whether the team management decides to go with Samson at No 5 or stick to Jitesh at No 6 will be an important factor to consider.
However, there was one major omission. Rinku Singh failed to find a place with the selectors preferring all-rounders over him.
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC, Subject to fitness), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
IND vs SA T20I Series Schedule
| Match | Day | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Tuesday | 09-Dec-25 | 7:00 PM | Cuttack |
| 2nd T20I | Thursday | 11-Dec-25 | 7:00 PM | New Chandigarh |
| 3rd T20I | Sunday | 14-Dec-25 | 7:00 PM | Dharamsala |
| 4th T20I | Wednesday | 17-Dec-25 | 7:00 PM | Lucknow |
| 5th T20I | Friday | 19-Dec-25 | 7:00 PM | Ahmedabad |
More to follow…
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