K.L. Rahul is set to lead the Men in Blue in the upcoming three-match One Day International series against South Africa, as announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on November 23, 2025. The series is scheduled to commence on November 30.
Rahul will take charge in the absence of regular skipper Shubman Gill, who is sidelined due to a neck injury sustained during the Test match against South Africa in Kolkata. Gill has also missed the ongoing second Test in Guwahati.
The ODI squad sees the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma. Both players last featured in ODIs against South Africa in December 2023, marking a near two-year absence. Gaikwad will serve as a reserve opener behind Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gaikwad recently shone for India A with scores of 117, 68 and 25* as India A secured a 2-1 series win against South Africa A. Tilak Varma has also been included in the squad.
Ravindra Jadeja also makes a comeback to the ODI squad after missing the Australia series. His inclusion reaffirms that the 36-year-old remains in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Axar Patel has been left out of the squad.
The squad also includes senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested.
The complete ODI squad is as follows: K.L. Rahul (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Dhruv Jurel.
The first ODI will be held in Ranchi on November 30, followed by the second in Raipur on December 3, and the final match in Visakhapatnam on December 6. All matches will begin at 1:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). Following the ODI series, India and South Africa will engage in a T20I series, starting in Cuttack on December 9.
