New Delhi [India], Jan 28: Since clearing the test, CSK retained key player Suresh Raina has been in prime form in the shortest format. He was the UP's highest run-scorer, and sixth overall, in the just-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament with 314 runs, including two fifties and an unbeaten innings of 126 runs come against Bengal, his overall strike-rate is over 146.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan also returns to the 16-man squad after being rested for the previous T20I series, against Sri Lanka at home in December last year. Shikhar Dhawan who Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda, Basil Thampi and Mohammad Siraj are the players dropped, apart from Iyer, from that squad.

Virat Kohli, who was rested for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka at home, returns as captain. After a great series victory at home Virat and his men didn’t continued at South Africa. After losing the Test series 1-2 to South Africa on Saturday, India will next play a six-match ODI series against the hosts. The T20Is will played in Johannesburg (February 18), Centurion (February 21) and Cape Town (February 24).

India's squad for T20I series: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.