4 Major Changes In India's ODI Squad For South Africa Series In Comparison To Australia Tour
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to begin on November 30. KL Rahul has been appointed as captain for the series, with senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma included in the lineup.
Pant Returns to ODI Setup
One of the biggest highlights of the squad announcement is the return of Rishabh Pant, who hasn’t featured in an ODI since August 2024. He joins KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel as the three wicketkeeping options for the series.
Multiple Changes from the Australia Series
India has made several adjustments compared to their ODI squad from the recent series against Australia. In total, four changes have been made. Regular ODI captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will not travel to South Africa. Gill is still recovering from a neck injury, while Iyer continues rehabilitation after sustaining a spleen injury in the Australia series.
All-rounder Axar Patel and pacer Mohammed Siraj are the other two players who have been left out for this tour.
To fill the vacant slots, India has brought back experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the series against Australia. Pant also returns, marking his comeback to the ODI format after more than a year away from international cricket. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma are the other new additions. Gaikwad is expected to serve as backup opener to Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Jaiswal likely to open alongside Rohit. Both Gaikwad and Tilak will be returning to ODI action for the first time since December 2023, when India last faced South Africa in the format.
India’s ODI Squad For Australia: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India’s ODI Squad For South Africa: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (capt & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel
