New Delhi: Suresh Raina was on Sunday recalled to India's T20I squad for the three-match series in South Africa, which also includes left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat who made big money at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
Left-arm batsman Raina last played for India in a T20I against England in February 2017.
The T20I series will begin with the first match in Johannesburg on February 18, followed by games in Centurion (Feb 21) and Cape Town (Feb 24).
Passing the mandatory 'Yo Yo' test also paved the way for Raina's return. The Uttar Pradesh batsman was also in top form in the recently-concluded Super League of Syed Mushtaq Ali, smashing an unbeaten hundred and a couple of half-centuries for his state side.
Familiar faces like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan were back in the side after being rested for the last T20 series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma had captained the side in three-match series with Virat Kohli being rested.
The crux of the ODI and T20 squad for the limited-overs leg in South Africa remains the same. The return of senior players means the likes of Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Siraj, Washington Sundar and Basil Thampi miss out.
The T20Is will be preceded by the six-match ODI rubber, after India ended the Test series with a confidence-building win in the Wanderers Test. The visitors lost the Test series 1-2.
Unadkat, meanwhile, made heads roll at the IPL auction securing a bid of Rs 11.5 crore by Rajasthan Royals and later received the good news of being named in the T20I squad.
India Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain) Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur
(With PTI inputs)
