The apex Indian board said both Hooda and Shami will miss the three matches against the visitors due to back injury and recovery from COVID-19, respectively.
Further, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will also miss the series as they are supposed to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehab work.
Shreyas Iyer, who is on the standby list of the India squad for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, has been drafted as a replacement for the injured Hooda. Similarly, Umesh Yadav, who was named Shami’s replacement for the Australia series, has been included in the squad for South Africa T20Is.
Moreover, Shahbaz Ahmed has also been added to the squad, while Arshdeep Singh, who was rested for the Australia series, has linked up with the India T20I outfit in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Deepak Hooda is ruled out of the upcoming Mastercard South Africa Tour of India after sustaining a back injury. The all-rounder is at NCA for further management of his injury. Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have also reported to the NCA for conditioning-related work, while Arshdeep Singh has linked up with the squad in Thiruvananthapuram,” wrote BCCI in a statement.
“Mohd. Shami is yet to attain full recovery from COVID-19 and will not be able to take part in the three-match T20I series. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Umesh Yadav as Shami’s replacement and Shreyas Iyer as a replacement for Hooda. Shahbaz Ahmed has also been added to the T20I squad,” the statement added.
India squad for South Africa T20Is (Updated):
Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed.
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