Allrounder Hardik Pandya has made his much awaited return to the Indian squad as the selectors included him for the three-match ODI series against South Africa. The 15-man squad also sees seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar making a comeback to national colours. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who missed the New Zealand series with a shoulder injury, has recovered to regain his spot but his regular opening partner Rohit Sharma remains on the sidelines recovering from a calf injury.
Hardik last played for India in September last year in a T20I against South Africa, soon after which he underwent a back surgery. He was expected to feature in at least one format in New Zealand but his comeback was delayed as the BCCI wanted the player to spend more time in his rehab. He has had excellent outings with both bat and ball now in a T20 tournament in Mumbai to prove his match fitness and eventually earn his spot back. Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar, who were nursing injuries, had also participated in the tournament.
Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur have been left out following Bhuvneshwar’s return as Navdeep Saini holds on to his spot. These three ODIs are of significant importance for the 30-year-old who has had to contend with a lot of injury setbacks of late. His most recent appearance for India came in the T20Is against West Indies late last year following which he suffered a groin injury. Prior to that, he suffered a hamstring strain during the World Cup and a niggle ahead of the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh.
