India selectors handed fast bowler Umran Malik and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh their maiden call-ups to the national team for the T20 series against South Africa on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's 22-year-old pacer Malik was expected to get selected soon after a standout season in IPL where he regularly clocked speeds well in excess of 150kph, with a best of 157kph, and picked up 21 wickets from 13 games including a five-wicket haul. While Malik's economy in some games was over 10 runs an over, his wicket-taking abilities in the middle overs and incredible pace made him a near certainty.
Singh was also rewarded for consistent performances this season after the Punjab Kings quick emerged as the most economical seam bowler in the competition - ahead of even Jasprit Bumrah, with an economy of 7.31 in overs 16 to 20.
There were a number of young faces in the T20 squad after the selectors decided to rest captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Bumrah.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the side after impressing with his batting, bowling and leadership at Gujarat Titans in IPL. Also back in the team is wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, who proved his mettle as a power hitter this season.
KL Rahul was named captain of the team that also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, who showed good form with Chennai Super Kings and is being seen as a future all-format top-order batsman. The five-match T20 series against South Africa begins in New Delhi on June 9.
Meanwhile, the selectors also named the squad for the one-off Test against England in July, which would conclude the five-match series from last year that was suspended after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the Indian camp.
In the red-ball side, Cheteshwar Pujara returns following a good season in the county championship. Ravindra Jadeja has been selected despite currently being injured.
India T20 squad: KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
