File picture of Gurkeerat Singh in action during the IPL. PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI: India named uncapped all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh in the ODI squad for the first three matches against South Africa which will also see MS Dhoni return to captain the side.
Singh, 25, has impressed with both bat and ball in the Indian junior side and has replaced Ravindra Jadeja, while leg spinner Amit Mishra comes in for seamer Dhawal Kulkarni.
Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket during a disappointing tour of Australia last year, returns to lead the ODI and T20I squads, after Virat Kohli led India to a Test-series win in Sri Lanka this month.
The selectors said they did not consider changing the limited-over captaincy, quashing speculation of any retirement by the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman from the shorter formats of the game.
The 34-year-old, who won the World T20 on his captaincy debut in 2007, has scored 8,620 runs from 265 ODIs at an average of 52.24.
Meanwhile, opener Shikhar Dhawan, recovering from a hand fracture, is included in both squads.
For the three T20 internationals, the selectors also picked uncapped Karnataka seamer Sreenath Aravind, who has played 41 first-class matches.
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami, undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury he suffered during the tour of Australia, was not considered for either squad.
The teams for the remaining two one-dayers and the four-Test series will be named later.
South Africa begin the tour with a practice match in New Delhi on September 29, with the first T20 to be played in Dharamsala on October 2.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2015.
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