The BCCI made a big announcement on Sunday, November 23. They revealed the India ODI Squad for the upcoming South Africa series. KL Rahul will lead the team as captain for these matches. This decision came after injuries hit two key players.
Why KL Rahul Got the Captaincy Role
Regular captain Shubman Gill can’t play due to a neck injury. He picked up this problem during a recent Test match. Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is also sitting out with his injury troubles. Iyer hurt himself while fielding in an ODI against Australia earlier.
With both youngsters unavailable, KL Rahul stepped up to take charge. He’ll handle captaincy duties and wicketkeeping responsibilities together now. Rahul has plenty of experience leading teams in pressure situations. The management trusts him to guide this squad well.
Some Big Names Return, Youngsters Get Chances
The India ODI Squad has a few surprises packed in honestly. Ruturaj Gaikwad is back in the ODI mix after being away. He’ll battle it out with Yashasvi Jaiswal for that opening spot. Young gun Tilak Varma also earned his place in this lineup.
Varma versus Rishabh Pant for number 4 – that’s a headache for selectors. Ravindra Jadeja returns to ODI cricket after sitting out recently. His batting and bowling combo will really help the team balance.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are getting a break this time. Both pacers need rest to stay fit for bigger challenges ahead. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain as the experienced pillars obviously. Kuldeep Yadav adds his tricky spin to the bowling options.
Three ODIs Across Different Venues
India will play three ODI matches against South Africa starting soon. The first game happens on November 30 at Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium. Then the action moves to Raipur for the second match. Visakhapatnam will host the final ODI of this series.
KL Rahul faces a big challenge leading this slightly changed lineup. But the ODI Squad Announced looks strong enough to compete hard.
India squad for South Africa ODIs:
KL Rahul (C) (wk), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel
