Reports: Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan, Dinesh Karthik on selection radar for the South Africa T20Is

The South Africa home T20I series is set to begin on June 9 and with the IPL 2022 nearing its conclusion, the BCCI is anticipated to share the squad details on Sunday (May 22). Many new, and some old faces, have impressed the selectors by putting out their best in IPL and players like Umran Malik and Mohsin Khan are likely to make their international debut against South Africa in June.

India veterans Dinesh Karthik and Shikhar Dhawan, who represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings respectively, are also likely to be back in the setup after their prolific performances for their teams. The Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya, who marked his return to the game as an all-rounder after a prolonged injury, will also be included in the squad, suggested a Times of India report.

While Karthik has amassed 287 runs in 14 matches for RCB playing in the middle order as a finisher, Dhawan slammed 421 runs in 13 matches for PBKS playing as an opener. Pandya represented his side at No. 3 and No. 4 in the 13 games that he played and has powered 413 runs and scalped four wickets. He also led the Gujarat Titans to the playoffs in their very first season.

Senior players to travel to England for the Test match

With the Test team leaving for England on June 15, some all-format players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah may be rested for the home series. A similar side is anticipated to be named for the two T20 matches in Ireland late next month (June). In such a scenario, Dhawan, who led the team in Sri Lanka last year, or Pandya, who has excelled as a leader in his first season with Gujarat Titans, might take over as captain.

The Indian Premier League continues to produce future stars, and this year was no exception. While Umran wowed the Sunrisers with his sheer pace, left-arm pacer Mohsin has surprised with his quickness and precision. Arshdeep Singh, who had another successful season for Punjab, is another left-arm pacer to be considered. In the death overs, he had one of the better economy rates and showed the potential to strike yorkers brilliantly, which is usually a plus in the T20 format.

Tilak Varma, Rahul Tewatia, and Deepak Hooda have been promising players in the batting department and thus could earn a chance to play in the South Africa series. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are also expected to be back in the mix.