Gurkeerat Earns ODI Call-up, Aravind Included in T20 Squad vs SA

Ravindra Jadeja has been left out of both squads once again but after the SL tour, Amit Mishra is back in the mix.

Gurkeerat Singh shows the ball with which he took 5 wickets in the 1st unofficial ODI between India A and Bangladesh A. (Photo: PTI)

Gurkeerat Singh had been the one constant in many man-of-the-match decisions over the last few months in domestic fixtures and the young Punjab all-rounder’s perseverance paid off today when the selection committee picked him in the squad for the first three ODIs against South Africa.

Karnataka left-arm seamer Srinath Aravind too earned a maiden call-up with his name being picked in the 15-man T20 squad.

Playing for India A, Gurkeerat Singh celebrates the wicket of Liton Das with his teammates during the 1st unofficial ODI against Bangladesh A. (Photo: PTI)

The Sandeep Patil-led selection committee announced the teams for the three T20s and the first three One day Internationals against the Proteas starting October 2 at Dharamsala.

Contrary to recent media reports, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will continue to captain the side in both the shorter formats, while senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was retained in the T20 squad for his consistent show during the tour of Zimbabwe.

Ravindra Jadeja has once again been left out of the T20 and ODI squads. (File Photo: AP)

However, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was once again ignored as the selectors decided to persist with young Axar Patel.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s good show against Sri Lanka was also rewarded as he found a place in both the squads.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan, recuperating from a hand fracture he suffered during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month, was also included in both the squads.

T20I Squad: MS Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra, S Aravind.

Squad for 1st 3 ODIs: MS Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.