India T20I specialists to leave for South Africa on February 11

India came to South Africa with the hope of putting up a strong performance. They lost the Test series 2-1 and the limited overs format was expected to be an evenly matched affair. However, the Men in Blue are 3-0 up in the series in just three matches and the first ODI series win in South Africa may not be too far away. After the ODI series, India is set to play three T20Is against the Proteas.

The players who are a part of the T20 setup for India will board the flight on February 11. This means that the players can play for their respective states till Sunday. Suresh Raina, KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat are the three players who will be joining the Indian camp in South Africa. The ODI series will be completed on the 16th of February at Centurion following which Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav and Mohammed Shami will return to India as they are not a part of the T20 setup.

The T20 specialists are currently plying their trade in the Vijay Hazare trophy 2018. Raina will play his last game before departing to South Africa in Bilaspur against Himachal Pradesh on February 11. Opening batsman KL Rahul is also a part of the Karnataka setup which is scheduled to face Haryana and Punjab on February 10 and 11 respectively. Jaydev Unakdat will be available for Saurashtra against Jharkhand on February 11.

Comeback for Raina

Raina last represented India back in October 2015 against South Africa in Mumbai. He must make the most of this opportunity as this may be his last chance to prove his worth to the team. KL Rahul has also been in and out of the team off late. He did not do well in the test series and needs a couple of good scores under his belt.

Jaydev Unadkat has become a different bowler altogether. He had a good outing against Sri Lanka late in 2017. He has become a handy bowler at the death and is a difficult customer to face. This is the reason as to why the Rajasthan Royals have awarded him a big IPL contract.

The three games of the T20I series will be played on February 18 (Johannesburg), February 21 (Centurion) and February 24 (Cape Town).