South Africa have recalled top-order batsmen Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen for their three-match One-Day International tour of India later this month, while left-arm spinner George Linde is named in the squad for the first time.
Du Plessis and Van der Dussen were rested for the on-going three-match home series against Australia, where South Africa lead 1-0 after a thumping 74-run victory in the opener on Saturday.
Linde, 28, has impressed in domestic 50-over cricket this season, and played a single test in India last October where he took match figures of 4-133 in Ranchi, his only international appearance to date.
He takes the place of leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is not available for the short tour due to the imminent birth of his first child. Keshav Maharaj is the other frontline spinner in the squad.
“It is exciting to see the amount of competition for spots that we have within the team and in the (domestic) franchises, it’s a good headache for us as selectors to have,” Cricket South Africa independent selector Linda Zondi said in a media release on Monday.
“We are satisfied with our picks for what will certainly be a challenging tour of India. We are also particularly pleased with the balance of youth and experience that we have achieved while our young leadership group continues to establish itself.”
The squad will be captained by Quinton de Kock and play the first ODI in Dharamsala in Mar. 12. That will be followed by a match in Lucknow three days later, before the series finale in Kolkata on Mar. 18. Squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lundi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
