India will face South Africa in the first match of a three-game ODI series in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. After being whitewashed in the Test series, India will be eager to get back to winning in a format they usually dominate at home.
However, team selection will be closely watched, as India will be without key players, including captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
KL Rahul has been named the stand-in captain for the series
KL Rahul has been named the stand-in captain for the series, as the selectors and team management chose not to bring back Rohit Sharma as captain. Both Rohit and Virat Kohli will return to the ODI team. The focus is on the senior players, especially after they silenced critics with a match-winning 168-run partnership in the final ODI of the three-match series in Sydney last month.
India will feel the pressure to perform in the ODIs
After losing the Test series to South Africa, India will feel the pressure to perform in the ODIs. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and stand-in captain KL Rahul will want to start well against Temba Bavuma’s team, who come into the series full of confidence after their historic series win.
India have three all-rounders in their squad, with Ravindra Jadeja returning to the ODI team for the first time since the Champions Trophy. Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy are also in contention.The team will have to decide whether to play Washington Sundar or give Nitish Kumar Reddy a chance, while Jadeja, who replaces Axar Patel, is expected to start.
Kuldeep Yadav is likely to play
Kuldeep Yadav is likely to play, offering important wicket-taking options in the middle overs. He has also bowled at the death in subcontinental conditions, and India may use him the same way with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable. India are expected to play three fast bowlers in Ranchi, as the pitch supports both seamers and spinners.
India Predicted XI:
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad/Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul (c and wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
India are likely to field a strong side, while South Africa will bring almost their full-strength team, missing only fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
Quinton de Kock has come out of retirement to play both T20Is and ODIs in Pakistan earlier this month. He is expected to open the batting with Ryan Rickelton, while Aiden Markram moves down to No. 3.
Matthew Breetzke, in good form recently, may bat at No. 5 to make room for captain Temba Bavuma in the middle order. With Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch, South Africa have a strong lower-middle order.
They might include off-spinner and all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen, but since Markram can bowl a bit, they may go with four fast bowlers, including specialists Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi. Keshav Maharaj is expected to be their only main spinner.
South Africa Predicted XI:
Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.