The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. Injured skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya have been ruled out of the series due to fitness concerns.
Gill sustained his injury during the Kolkata Test, while Shreyas was injured during the Australia tour. Hardik Pandya has been sidelined since his injury during the Asia Cup.
KL Rahul Appointed Captain
Wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has been named the captain for the ODI series. He last led the ODI side in 2023 — also against South Africa — where India suffered an eight-wicket defeat. Rahul has captained India in 12 ODIs so far, securing 8 wins and 4 losses.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Comeback
Senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be seen playing international cricket on Indian soil after nearly nine months. Their last home ODI appearance was against England in February. Following India’s triumph in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, both players returned to international cricket during the Australia series last month.
Notably, both Rohit and Kohli have already retired from Test and T20 formats.
Bumrah and Siraj Rested; Jadeja Returns
Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested for the series. Meanwhile, Axar Patel, who was part of the Australia ODI series, has been dropped and replaced by Ravindra Jadeja.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been included as Rahul’s backup but may also be considered for the crucial No.4 batting position in Shreyas Iyer’s absence.
Pace Attack & Team Composition
India will rely on a three-man pace attack featuring:
- Prasidh Krishna
- Harshit Rana
- Arshdeep Singh
The ODI series will commence on November 30, while the T20 series starts from December 9. The T20 squad is yet to be announced.
India ODI Squad vs South Africa
KL Rahul (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.