Dhoni not included, Hardik back in squad for T20 series against Proteas

Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not figure in the Indian team for the upcoming three-match T20 series against South Africa while Hardik Pandya returned as the only change in the 15-member squad

Dhoni, who had taken a two-month sabbatical from the sport, is currently vacationing in the United States, having served the Territorial Army for 15 days.

It couldn't be ascertained whether the selectors spoke to Dhoni about his availability for the home series against South Africa.

The younger of the Pandya brothers -- Hardik -- was back in the team after being rested to treat his minor niggles as part of the workload management programme.

The squad is almost similar to the one that blanked the West Indies 3-0 in the previous series in the United States and the Caribbean.

Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only player left out as a part of the workload management programme.

India's squad for 3 T20Is against South Africa: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.