Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir© AFP
VVS Laxman will be the head coach of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The former India batter was appointed the interim head coach as Gautam Gambhir will be travelling to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India will take on South Africa in four T20Is which will be played in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion and Johannesburg on November 8, 10, 13 and 15 respectively. While the team for South Africa will depart around November 3, the team for Australia is expected to leave by November 10-11.
The report further claimed that coaches working at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), like Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh, will be part of the coaching staff under Laxman.
India have handed maiden call-ups to pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak and middle-order batter Ramandeep Singh for the four-match T20I tour of South Africa.
With pace sensation Mayank Yadav, who made a sensational debut in the recent T20 series against Bangladesh, and middle-order batter Shivam Dube unavailable for selection because of injuries, the selectors decided to pick left-arm pacer Vijaykumar to bolster the pace attack that includes T20 World Cup-winner Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Yash Dayal, who was part of the Test squad recently but is yet to make his international debut. Karnataka pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak has done well for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last couple of seasons after making his debut for them in IPL 2023.
Another T20 World Cup winner Hardik Pandya will be the most experienced pace option for skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the 15-member squad.
In the absence of late-dasher Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh will add more muscle to the middle order which will have Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh as main batters besides skipper Yadav. Ramandeep Singh had played a vital role in the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL2024 triumph with his brilliant late hitting.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are likely to open the innings which seems a given especially after the hundred Samson struck against Bangladesh recently.
Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi are the three main spinners in the squad while Jitesh Sharma will be hoping to share the wicketkeeping duties with Sanju Samson.
India's squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.