Mumbai, Dec 21 (IANS) Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was dropped while leg-spinner Piyush Chawla made a come back after two-and-a-half years as the national selectors Tuesday announced a 16-member squad for the five-match ODI series and a Twenty20 match against South Africa.

Another notable absentee from the squad was middle order batsman Rohit Sharma, who played in the ODI series against New Zealand. Chawla last played an ODI in April 2008 against Pakistan in Karachi.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a comeback to the team after missing the ODI series against New Zealand.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also been left out while Yusuf Pathan, who impressed in the ODI series against New Zealand, has been retained.

The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain-wicketkeeper), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla and Sreesanth.