Hardik, Bhuvneshwar return to India ODI squad

Pandya's last ODI for India was the team's 18-run run semi-final loss to New Zealand in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019. Since then he has struggled with a lower-back injury and even undergone surgery, but is now ready to return to the setup.

He proved his fitness and match-readiness in a local T20 competition in Mumbai, making scores of 46, 105, 38 and 158*. He has also bowled in those games and looks set to contribute in full capacity during the series against South Africa, which starts on March 12 in Dharamsala.

Also returning to the squad are Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shubhman Gill. Dhawan had missed the New Zealand series through injury, but returns in place of Mayank Agarwal, who managed just 36 runs from three innings. Bhuvneshwar, who last featured in the home T20I series against West Indies in December, has recovered from his groin injury, and returns in place of Mohammed Shami who has been rested.

Kedar Jadhav, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur have been dropped from the 15-member contingent after poor returns in New Zealand. Meanwhile, opener Prithvi Shaw and right-arm quick Navdeep Saini have retained their places.

Rohit Sharma, the vice-captain continues to remain on the sidelines with a calf injury.

Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill.