Ruturaj Gaikwad is back in Team India. The 28-year-old right-handed batter from Maharashtra, who captains Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich Indian Premier League, was included in India’s ODI squad in the absence of Shubman Gill for the three-match series against South Africa starting Sunday, November 28, in Ranchi. Gaikwad, who last played ODI on December 19, 2023, against South Africa in Gqeberha, when the seniors were rested ahead of the Test series, last featured for India (in a T20I match) on July 13, 2024, against Zimbabwe in Harare.
Ahead of the first ODI between India and South Africa in Ranchi, Gaikwad shared his excitement. In a video posted by BCCI on X, he can be heard saying, “It’s good to be back in blue, and I’m really looking
forward to again playing for Team India.”
Here’s a look:
Lights 💡
Camera 📸
Action 🎬A fun BTS sneak peek as #TeamIndia gets ready for the #INDvSA ODI series opener in Ranchi 🥳@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/JK2IdsxnJ8
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2025
Even though Gaikwad is part of India’s ODI squad, there are not high chances of him getting a chance to be part of the playing XI, at least as an opener. Left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is ahead of him in the pecking order, and the 23-year-old is expected to partner Rohit at the top. Jaiswal, who is India’s highest-ranked Test batter, made his ODI debut on February 6, 2025, against England in Nagpur, but in that fixture, he was only able to score 15 runs.
Gaikwad, who earned his place back in Team India after impressing with his performances in the three unofficial ODIs for India A against South Africa A in Rajkot earlier this month, could be tried as a No. 4 batter in the absence of Shreyas Iyer.
In Iyer’s absence, as of now, India have Tilak Varma and Rishabh Pant as probable No. 4 batters, but keeping Gaikwad’s red-hot form in mind, the team management could consider him at No. 4.
KL Rahul to lead India
In the absence of Gill, KL Rahul will captain India in three ODIs against South Africa. The right-handed batter, who is also India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, last captained India during a three-match ODI series against South Africa in December 2023 and helped the visitors seal the series win with a scoreline of 2-1.
