Under-fire coach Gautam Gambhir is looking to the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as India prepares to face South Africa in a three-match ODI series following a disappointing 0-2 Test series loss. The series begins on November 30th, with matches in Ranchi, Raipur, and Visakhapatnam.
KL Rahul will captain the side in the absence of Shubman Gill, who is recovering from a neck injury, and Shreyas Iyer, who is rehabilitating an abdominal injury. The return of Sharma and Kohli, both of whom have retired from Test and T20I formats, is expected to bolster the team's confidence and provide valuable experience. They aim to level the scores with South Africa in this limited-overs series.
India has not won an ODI series under Gambhir's coaching, having lost to Sri Lanka and Australia previously. The pressure is on Gambhir to turn things around, and the presence of seasoned campaigners like Sharma and Kohli could be crucial. Sharma and Kohli will surpass Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's record for most international matches played together as an Indian pair.
Rishabh Pant is set to return to the lineup, but his role remains uncertain. He is in contention for the No. 4 slot, along with Tilak Varma and Dhruv Jurel. Pant recently apologized for the team's poor performance in the Test series, acknowledging that they "didn't play good enough cricket".
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested for the series, while Tilak Varma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been included in the squad. Gaikwad's inclusion comes after a strong performance in the recent South Africa A series. With Gill out, either Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to open with Rohit Sharma.
South Africa will be without Kagiso Rabada due to a rib injury, placing extra responsibility on Marco Jansen and Nandre Burger. Temba Bavuma will lead the South African side, aiming to dominate in the 50-over format.
The ODI series will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, with live streaming available on the Jio Hotstar app and website. All three matches are scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM IST.
In ODI encounters between India and South Africa, South Africa holds a slight edge, with 51 wins compared to India's 40 in 94 matches. The series promises to be a competitive one, with India looking to bounce back from their Test defeat and South Africa aiming to continue their dominance.
