India's Shikhar Dhawan celebrates as he reaches his century during the ICC Champions Trophy group B match against the West Indies at The Oval cricket ground. Image Courtesy: Sportzwiki

 

NEW DELHI: Opener Shikhar Dhawan has been added to India's Twenty20 squad for the three-match series against Australia starting this week in Ranchi.

The left-handed batsman, who missed the five-match ODI series against the Steve Smith-led Australia to be with his ailing wife, returns to the 15-member T20 team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the side on Sunday after the hosts wrapped up the one-day series 4-1 in Nagpur.

Batsman Dinesh Karthik made his way back after leading his domestic side India Red to victory in the recent Duleep Trophy competition.

Veteran fast bowler Ashish Nehra also made the cut while rookie paceman Shardul Thakur and batsman Ajinkya Rahane were kept out.

India, who are currently ranked number one in ODI and Test cricket, are scheduled to play the first T20 against the visitors on Saturday.

Indian cities of Guwahati and Hyderabad will host the second and third match on October 10 and 13 respectively.

Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel.