IND vs SA | Rohit, Virat, KL likely to be rested; Dhawan, Pandya in contention to lead India

In the latest development, the senior players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant, are likely to be rested for a five-match T20I series against South Africa scheduled to be played from June 9 to 19.  

All these four players will serve as essential members of the Indian team for the series against England in July, which will consist of a one-off Test, three T20Is and three ODIs. Earlier it was already reported that the former India captain is likely to be given a break for the series against Proteas. 

"All the senior India players will get at least three and half weeks of complete rest. Rohit, Virat, KL, Rishabh and Jasprit will all directly go to England for the 'fifth Test' following the white-ball series. We need all our key players to remain fresh for the England series," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The squad for the South Africa series is likely to be announced on 22 May, which will be the last day of the league stage of the Indian Premier League. The players participating in the tournament's finals will get a rest of about ten days before the series. 

The BCCI official also spoke on the captain choices for the T20I series. He reckoned that Shikhar Dhawan could be a good choice due to his experience as a leader in the absence of Kohli and Sharma. 

According to him, the all-rounder Hardik Pandya is also a strong contender due to his outstanding leadership for Gujarat Titans in the ongoing season of IPL. 

"The selectors have a couple of choices. Shikhar Dhawan, as he has already captained India in absence of Virat, Rohit and Rahul during last year's Sri Lanka series. But Hardik Pandya's impressive captaincy for Gujarat Titans hasn't gone unnoticed. So it will be a close call," the official added.

Delhi, Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Bengaluru will host the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa.