The Indian men’s cricket team will face South Africa in a three-match ODI series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors are expected to announce India’s squad for the upcoming three 50-over
matches against the Proteas this week. Shubman Gill is captain of India’s ODI team, and Shreyas Iyer was named as his deputy on October 4 when the BCCI selectors announced India’s squad for the three-match series in Australia. But Gill and Iyer are dealing with fitness-related issues these days and may not be available for the three 50-over matches against the South African team.
While Iyer got injured during the third India-Australia ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25, Gill suffered a neck injury on Day 2 of the first India-South Africa Test at Eden Gardens last week. There are question marks over his availability for the second Test, which will be played in Guwahati from November 22 to 26.
If Gill skips the second Test against South Africa, then Indian team management could consider resting him for the ODI series at home as well and give him sufficient time to recover.
Since there is no big ODI tournament before the ODI World Cup 2027, the matches of which will be played in October and November, the BCCI would like not to risk Gill and instead give him time to get ready for the T20I series.
Iyer, on the other hand, is unlikely to be considered for the ODI series against South Africa due to his recovery from the injury that he suffered while fielding in Sydney.
In the absence of Gill and Iyer, selectors will have to pick a new captain for the South Africa ODIs. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya have all led India in ODIs in the past, and one of them is likely to be appointed as India captain again.
Rohit, who led India to the ICC Champions Trophy title earlier this year, is the most suitable option, but it is highly unlikely that he will be considered. The right-handed batter from Mumbai was sacked as India’s ODI captain last month. Hardik is also not part of the leadership group anymore, and Kohli has also not captained India since 2021. KL Rahul is a possible captaincy candidate in Gill and Iyer’s absence.
In the absence of Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal will be India’s opening batter, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who won Player Of The Match awards in the first two unofficial ODIs against South Africa A last week could be the backup opener. Tilak Varma is expected to replace Iyer as a No. 4 batter, and Assam all-rounder Riyan Parag could also earn an ODI comeback.
Rishabh Pant is also likely to be back in the ODI side in place of Dhruv Jurel, who was India’s backup wicketkeeper for the ODI series in Australia.
Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are set to be the three spin bowling options for the Men in Blue, and Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana will be the three fast bowlers. It will, however, be interesting to see if Nitish Kumar Reddy retains his spot in the squad after Pandya’s return to the setup.
India’s likely squad for ODI series against South Africa: KL Rahul (C & WK), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant (WK), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj
