IND vs SA | Hardik Pandya missing as Team India sweat out in Delhi ahead of the 1st T20I

Following a short-break after the culmination of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last month, the Indian players are back in action, with the KL Rahul-led unit sweating out during a practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday (June 06).

India will take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series, starting in Delhi on June 09.

With regular skipper Rohit Sharma resting, KL Rahul will lead the squad against the Proteas.

While a majority of Indian players could be seen sweating it out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, champion all-rounder Hardik Pandya was nowhere to be seen.

A BCCI official told ANI that the IPL-winning skipper is yet to join the squad in Delhi. The Baroda cricketer is likely to link up with the squad on Tuesday and will most definitely feature in the 1st T20I on June 09, added the official.

"No, he is not with us yet. But he might join us by tomorrow. Everything is fine, and you will be definitely seeing him on the ground on June 9."

Hardik will be making a comeback to the Indian team after a gap of six months.

The all-rounder was dropped from the set-up following India's disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE last year.

Hardik made a stellar comeback to competitive cricket in the recent IPL as he not only performed exceedingly well with both bat and ball but also led debutants Gujarat Titans (GT) to title glory.

Pandya's inclusion will lend a much-needed balance to the Indian playing XI as he is one of the very few cricketers in the country who have a multidimensional skillset.

Meanwhile, Team India will be looking to extend their winning run in the shortest format of the game in the forthcoming series against a strong Proteas unit.

The Men in Blue are currently riding on a 12-match unbeaten streak, and if they win in Delhi, they will become the first team in the world to win 13 T20Is in a row.

The 5 T20Is will take place in Delhi, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru between June 09-19.