IND vs SA 2022: Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Shahbaz Ahmed added to India's squad ahead of first T20I

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Umesh Yadav and Shreyas Iyer as replacements for the unavailable Mohammed Shami and Deepak Hooda for the upcoming series against South Africa. Left-arm all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has also been included in Team India's squad for the three-match T20I series.

Umesh initially came into the T20I side after a three-year interval as a replacement for Shami ahead of the series against Australia. The Vidarbha-born pacer will retain his place in the squad, with Shami yet to recover from COVID-19.

Hooda has been ruled out of the series against South Africa due to a back injury, which kept him out of contention for the third T20I against Australia as well.

The all-rounder will now head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore to recover. Shreyas Iyer, who has been named as a stand-by player for the T20 World Cup 2022, replaces him in the squad.

Apart from Hooda, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will also not be a part of the series. With Axar Patel acting as the sole all-rounder in the side, Shahbaz Ahmed has also been included in the team. The Bengal all-rounder received his maiden national team call-up for the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe last month, but didn't get a chance.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh has linked up with the rest of the squad in Thiruvananthapuram, where the first T20I will take place. The youngster was not part of the squad that recently defeated Australia in a three-match T20I series.

The two teams will play the first of the three contests on Wednesday, September 28. The Proteas are yet to lose a T20I series on Indian soil and walked away with a 2-2 draw during their visit earlier this year.

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Updated India squad for South Africa T20Is

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, and Shahbaz Ahmed.

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