New Delhi, Nov 23 (NationPress) Senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has been appointed as the captain of India’s ODI team for the forthcoming three-match series against South Africa, commencing on November 30. This series will also mark the return of Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ruturaj Gaikwad to the 50-over format.

Reports from IANS indicate that with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer sidelined due to neck and spleen injuries respectively, the choice for captaincy was narrowed down to Rahul and Pant. With Rahul being a regular player in ODIs, he was selected to lead the team against the Proteas, while Pant currently captains India in the ongoing Test match in Guwahati.

Rahul has previously captained India 12 times in ODIs from 2022 to 2023 and was at the helm when India triumphed over South Africa in the 2023 ODI series, winning 2-1.

Rishabh Pant is making his return to the ODI setup after recovering from a fractured right foot, which kept him out of the series against Australia last month, where India faced a 2-1 defeat. With Gill unavailable, Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to continue in the lineup and could open alongside Rohit Sharma against South Africa.

However, he will have to compete for a spot with Gaikwad, who has recently been in exceptional form, having scored a century and a half-century in a three-match ODI series against South Africa ‘A’ in Rajkot.

Additionally, left-handed batter Tilak Varma returns to the team after last playing an ODI in December 2023, while Dhruv Jurel maintains his position. The batting order will be crucial in Iyer’s absence, with Pant, Varma, and even Rahul vying for the fourth batting slot.

Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the ODI series against Australia, is back in the squad, replacing Axar Patel, who may play in the upcoming T20I series.

With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj rested, India’s pace attack will consist of Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and seam-bowling all-rounders Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, particularly with Hardik Pandya undergoing rehabilitation for a quadriceps injury. The ODIs against South Africa will take place in Ranchi (November 30), Raipur (December 3), and Visakhapatnam (December 6).

India squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (captain & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Dhruv Jurel