Dhawan returns for Australia T20s, Nehra and Karthik recalled

Shikhar Dhawan is set to make his India comeback in the Twenty20 series against Australia, while Ashish Nehra and Dinesh Karthik have been included in a 15-man squad.

Dhawan missed the 4-1 one-day international series over Steve Smith's side to be with his wife as she recovers from illness.

The opening batsman is expected to return in a three-match T20 series which gets under way in Ranchi on Saturday.

There is also a place in the squad for 38-year-old paceman Nehra, who last featured for his country in a T20 win over England back in February.

Karthik missed the win over Sri Lanka in a one-off T20 last month, but the wicketkeeper-batsman gets the nod to take on Australia.

Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been playing county cricket for Worcestershire, did not play in the ODI series and have been rested for the three matches in the shortest format.

Rohit Sharma made a magnificent 125 from only 109 balls as the new top-ranked side India eased to a seven-wicket win over the tourists in the fifth and final ODI on Sunday.

India squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel.