Karnataka and Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamer Vyshak has been on the fringes of national selection over the last few months, and was one of five emerging players to earn fast-bowling contracts from the BCCI. He is known for his pace variations in white-ball cricket, and has impressed in the red-ball format recently as well, taking 10 wickets at 24.90 during the Duleep Trophy.
The T20I squad has three notable absentees, all due to injury. Batting allrounder Riyan Parag is undergoing rehabilitation for what the BCCI’s squad announcement termed a “chronic right shoulder injury”. Fast bowler Mayank Yadav and seam-bowling allrounder Shivam Dube were also unavailable due to unspecified injuries.
Mayank, who made his international debut during the recent home T20Is against Bangladesh, has been troubled by constant injuries including an abdominal muscle issue that ruled him out of IPL 2024 after he had made an eye-catching tournament debut, consistently crossing 150kph while picking up the Player of the Match award in his first two games.
There are also recalls for the fast bowler Avesh Khan and spin-bowling allrounder Axar Patel. Axar was rested from the Bangladesh T20Is because he was part of India’s Test squad during a busy home season, but he has not found a place in the touring party to Australia, with Washington Sundar effectively leapfrogging him into that squad. Axar has now taken Washington’s place in the T20I squad.
With the South Africa tour partially coinciding with the Test tour of Australia, the T20I squad is also without fast bowler Harshit Rana and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, as well as established all-format players including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and the injured Kuldeep Yadav.
India are scheduled to play four T20Is in South Africa, in Durban (November 8), Gqueberha (November 10), Centurion (November 13) and Johannesburg (November 15).
India squad for T20Is against South Africa
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.