Bengaluru, DHNS: Sreenath Arvind’s inclusion in the Indian T20I squad for the three-match series against South Africa beginning October 2 in Dharamsala comes as a latest reflection of Karnataka’s stupendous show in the domestic circuit in the last couple of years.

The second match will be held in Cuttack (October 5) while Kolkata will host the third tie (October 8).

Having held three major domestic titles — Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy — for two consecutive years, an unprecedented feat in itself, the players are reaping the rewards of their success.

This isn’t the maiden international call-up for Arvind. He was part of the Indian ODI squad when England toured the country in 2011. While he didn’t get any match in that series, the left-arm seamer stands a good chance of playing against the visiting Proteas.

The reason behind the 31-year-old’s inclusion, said chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil, was to provide some variation.

“Looking at the World T20 (to be held in India next year), we wanted to give more variation and more opportunities to players who have done well in the domestic circuit, the triangular series (involving ‘A’ teams from India, Australia and South Africa) and the current series against Bangladesh ‘A’,” he said.

Arvind is the latest in a series of players from Karnataka to be picked for either the Senior national side or the ‘A’ side.

While State skipper R Vinay Kumar, dashing opener Robin Uthappa and paceman A Mithun have had their India stints with varying degrees of success, all-rounder Stuart Binny (all three formats) and K L Rahul (Tests) have been regular fixtures for a while now in the Senior setup.

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