Reports: Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Shikhar Dhawan to be recalled for the ODI series against South Africa

What’s the story?

According to a report in The Hindu, Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, all three of whom have performed well in the ongoing DY Patil T20 tournament, are set to be recalled for the South Africa series after recovering from their respective injuries.

In case you didn’t know

India’s newly-formed selection panel’s first assignment is to announce the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. The games get underway on March 12 in Dharamsala. The second and third ODI will be played in Lucknow and Kolkata on March 15 and 18 respectively. Sunil Joshi and Harvinder Singh have replaced MSK Prasad and Gagan Khoda in the selection panel.

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The heart of the matter

With Rohit Sharma yet to recover from his injury and Mohammed Shami rested, Dhawan and Kumar’s recall is highly-likely. Pandya, who has not played for India since September, could be back in the team after his brilliant form in the DY Patil T20 tournament. The all-rounder scored a 39-ball 101 and picked up five wickets earlier in the week, and followed that up with a 58-ball 158 on Friday.

What’s next?

The ODIs against South Africa do not hold much relevance just days before the IPL and hence will serve as a good comeback platform for all the players who have been out of the team due to injuries.