On Friday, November 21, South Africa announced their ODI and T20I squads to face India after the Test series concludes next week in Guwahati. The Proteas are set to lock horns with the Men in Blue in three ODIs in Ranchi, Raipur, and Visakhapatnam from November 30 to December 6. This assignment will be followed by a five-match T20I series from December 9 to 19. These games will be held in Cuttack, New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad.
The experienced Temba Bavuma, who is currently leading
South Africa in the Test series against India, will take charge in the ODIs. Meanwhile, star batter Aiden Markram is set to lead the Rainbow Nation in the T20I leg of the tour.
South Africa's head coach, Shukri Conrad, said that the upcoming T20I series will hold great significance for his side as it will give them a chance to prepare for next year's T20 World Cup, which India is co-hosting with Sri Lanka. While Conrad acknowledged that premier speedster Kagiso Rabada's services will be missed, he said that he is looking forward to who can step up in his absence.
"We’re really looking forward to this white-ball tour for so many reasons. The T20I series in particular is an important opportunity for us to finalise our squad ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, which will also be played in India," Conrad was quoted as saying by Cricket World.
"Getting clarity on combinations and roles now is crucial as we build towards that tournament. Of course we’ll miss KG [Kagiso Rabada] on this tour, but as we saw in the first Test win over India, this group has depth, and that is one of our primary goals as a squad; to develop a unit filled with players who can step up at any time. Every time someone is unavailable, it opens the door for another player to stand up. We want to see more players stand up as we have been seeing so often over the past couple of years," he added.
It's also really good to welcome Anrich back into the T20I side: Conrad
Anrich Nortje, who hasn't played for South Africa since the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India, has been picked in the squad for the shortest format. Conrad welcomed the return of the veteran pacer.
“It's also really good to welcome Anrich back into the T20I side after he missed the previous tours through injury. We know exactly what he brings so we’re really looking forward to working with him," Conrad stated.
While the 50-over World Cup is in 2027, Conrad feels that the ODI series against India will give them clarity on where they are as a team.
In the 50-over format, these matches will give us a clear picture of where we are as a group and what we need to keep building on as we shape the squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup," Conrad mentioned.
South Africa's ODI squad vs India: Temba Bavuma (C), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen.
South Africa's T20I squad vs India: Aiden Markram (C), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.
