Sunil Joshi’s first meeting as the selection committee chairman is likely to be more of an injury update as the selectors will take a stock of three sidelined players who have made a strong comeback this week during an invitational T20 tournament in Navi Mumbai.
Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have all represented Reliance 1 in the D.Y. Patil T20 tournament which has emerged as a star-studded prelude to the Indian Premier League over the last decade.
With all the three having recovered from their respective injuries, they are set to be recalled into India’s ODI squad for the three-match series against South Africa, starting on March 12.
Inevitable
While Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar’s return is all but inevitable with Rohit Sharma injured and Mohammed Shami set to be rested, Hardik’s return will depend on the fitness update on his back. The rejigged selection panel is likely to test his fitness ahead of a rigorous IPL.
While Dhawan (shoulder injury) and Bhuvneshwar (hernia surgery) have been steadily getting back into their strides, Hardik has had a remarkable comeback. After scoring a 39-ball 101 and picking up five wickets in a match earlier in the week, the swashbuckling allrounder blasted a 58-ball 158 (6x4, 20x6) against Shreyas Iyer-led Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Friday.
The allrounder’s return after a back operation last year had been prolonged, with Hardik being pulled out of India and India-A’s recent tours to New Zealand.
