IND vs SA T20Is: Fans elated after Umran Malik gets maiden India call-up; laud Pandya's return

In what has sparked massive excitement among cricket fans, Jammu and Kashmir pace sensation Umran Malik earned an expected call-up in the Indian team for the upcoming five-match T20 International home series against South Africa starting June 9.

Nicknamed 'Jammu Express', Umran has picked up 21 wickets in 13 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, his ability to bowl consistently at 150+ kph has caught the nation's imagination.

Along with Umran, Punjab Kings' death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh earned his maiden national call-up.

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Meanwhile, all-rounder Hardik Pandy, who has successfully led the new IPL franchise Gujarat Titans into the playoffs, has also been included in the squad. Another star marking his return after a phenomenal performance in the T20 league is Royal Challengers Bangalore's Dinesh Karthik.

Regular captain Rohit Sharma, batting icon Virat Kohli, and star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have all been rested for the white-ball series. KL Rahul has been named captain, while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain.

Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah will all fly to England on June 15 for the one-off Test against England at Edgbaston from July 1-5 and will be joined by Cheteshwar Pujara, who has earned a recall to the 17-member Indian Test team after a spectacular show in English County Championship for Sussex.

Also read: IPL 2022: RCB camp celebrates after qualifying for playoffs; Kohli thanks MI for beating DC

Here's a look at the squads:

India's T20I squad for home series vs SA: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

India's squad for Edgbaston Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Indian cricket fans took to Twitter to express their joy over the inclusion of Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh in the squad. They also lauded the return of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik to the national team. Here's a look at some of the reactions:

(With inputs from PTI)