India's likely XI for the SA T20I series if the Test regulars are not considered

Team India's next assignment is the five-match T20I series against South Africa. That will happen between 9th and 19th June at home. A few days later, the team will travel to England for the one-off Test and other limited-overs' tournaments. Hence, it is possible that the Test regulars might not be considered for the South Africa series. On that note, in this article, we take a look at India's likely XI for the SA T20I series if the Test regulars are not considered.

India's Test regulars such as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah also hold an important role in the T20I XI. Hence, their services will be missed. Nevertheless, with the T20 World Cup later this year, the management can use the upcoming tournament to audition a few players. 

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Tripathi

Dhawan and Rahul Tripathi will be the openers in India's likely XI for the SA T20I series if the Test regulars are not considered. Although the southpaw has missed recent T20 tournaments for India, it is said that he could be back as the skipper for the upcoming tournament. With Ishan Kishan in unconvincing form, Shikhar will be suited to open the batting. Rahul Tripathi is in fine form this IPL season and might get the nod ahead of the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

Middle-Order: Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda and Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Sanju Samson might finally get a consistent run in Team India. He has been in pretty good touch and the upcoming series will be vital to his career. Deepak Hooda is going through a purple phase and he can be considered for the No.4 role. This is assuming Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav will fly to England. If the management needs a left-handed option here, they can try Ishan Kishan or maybe even Tilak Varma. Dinesh Karthik is a certainty in the XI if the regulars are missing. He will be the designated finisher.

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya

Hardik and Krunal will be the all-rounders in India's likely XI for the SA T20I series if the Test regulars are not considered. Hardik is unlikely to get selected in the Test squad and hence, could play the SA T20I series. If he bowls, it will be an added bonus for the team. If Axar is not selected for the Test team, he will get selected. Since Deepak Hooda offers right-arm off-spin, the management might hinge on Krunal.

Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Yuzvendra Chahal

Harshal has been doing well and will be the likely choice at No.8. He will add good batting depth to the XI. Bhuvi is in fine form and will lead the pace attack. T Natarajan could be selected for the series but the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Mohsin Khan will also be in the fray. Yuzvendra Chahal, of course, will be one of the first names on the team sheet.