The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India's T20I squad for the five-match series against South Africa. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead India's pack as suspense over Shubman Gill has finally ended. Gill, who was on a rehab after picking a neck injury during Test series against South Africa, has returned to the India fold and will be Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the T20I series against South Africa, which is slated to start from December 9. However, the Punjab batter's inclusion is subject to fitness.
Shubman Gill returns as India announce T20I squad for South Africa series
Hardik Pandya has returned to the squad after successfully proving his fitness and form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash against Punjab, having been sidelined since the Asia Cup 2025.
But what caught everyone's eyes was Rinku Singh's absence from the 15-member squad. Rinku last featured in the T20I series against Australia. Not just Rinku, Nitish Kumar Reddy also faced the axe.
The T20I series between India and South Africa is scheduled to be played over ten days, running from December 9 to December 19. The series opener will take place in Cuttack on December 9.
The remaining four T20 Internationals will be hosted by different venues across the country. These matches are slated for December 11 in Mullanpur, December 14 in Dharamsala, December 17 in Lucknow, and the series will conclude with the final T20I on December 19 in Ahmedabad.
India's squad for T20I series against South Africa:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
Note: * Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE.
Full schedule for India vs South Africa's T20I series:
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South Africa’s Tour of India, 2025 (T20I Series) |
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Sr No. |
Day |
Date |
Time |
Match |
Venue |
|
1 |
Tuesday |
09-Dec-25 |
7:00 PM |
1st T20I |
Cuttack |
|
2 |
Thursday |
11-Dec-25 |
7:00 PM |
2nd T20I |
New Chandigarh |
|
3 |
Sunday |
14-Dec-25 |
7:00 PM |
3rd T20I |
Dharamsala |
|
4 |
Wednesday |
17-Dec-25 |
7:00 PM |
4th T20I |
Lucknow |
|
5 |
Friday |
19-Dec-25 |
7:00 PM |
5th T20I |
Ahmedabad |