Rinku Singh And Tilak Varma Sidelined, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's International Career Over!! India's ODI Squad for South Africa Sealed And Signed

India will be touring South Africa for a full-fledged series between December 10, 2023-January 7, 2024. They play three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches. The Test series will be a part of the ICC WTC 2023-26.

The ODI series will be played just after the ICC World Cup 2023 with India being the hosts. The three-match series will be played in Johannesburg (1st ODI December 17), Gqeberha (2nd ODI, December 19), and Paarl (3rd ODI, December 21).

By the time this ODI series starts, the ODI World Cup champions will be decided. India hosting the event are favourites according to many former Indian and former cricket experts.

However, India’s continuous experimentation with their white-ball squads might become the reason for their downfall in the World Cup at home. Like the last World Cup, the number four slot continues to be a conundrum for the management.

Because this ODI series will be played almost immediately after the World Cup is over, the management might just want to field their strongest possible squad for the three-match series. India will have fresh memories of being whitewashed in the ODI series in South Africa last time around. In this article, we predict India’s 15-member ODI squad for the three-match series.

IND vs SA 2023-24: India???s Predicted ODI Squad

Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill

Rohit and Gill might continue to open in ODIs even after the World Cup. The pair is primed to open for India in the mega event at home. Rohit is one of the best white-ball openers in modern cricket. Gill also has flourished in white-ball cricket and has a double century to his name. What he needs is to be consistent at the top order. Skipper Rohit needs to be in good form to take on the South African bowlers who will bowl a lot of bouncers to Indian batters.

Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav / Sanju Samson

Kohli continues to be India’s main batsman in the middle order. He needs to play at his best if India is to win an ODI series in South Africa. He was a part of the Indian squad that was whitewashed in the format the last time around. Suryakumar Yadav might get a longer rope in ODIs if he is selected for the ODI World Cup. If he is not selected for the World Cup, he might be benched for the South Africa series as well.

Shreya Iyer’s return will boost the middle-order and the number four conundrum. It will be a direct shootout between him and SKY for the slot. Iyer has proved his worth batting at that position in the past. SKY, on the other hand, is yet to flourish in his ODI career.

Another option the management can think about is Sanju Samson. He played a good knock in the third ODI against West Indies and helped India win the decider. Samson averages 55.71 in ODI cricket in his career, one of the highest among the modern players.

Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul

Assuming that Rishabh Pant will not get fit for the South Africa series, India might want to go with Kishan and Rahul as their two specialist keepers. Kishan provides an option for the openers slot as well. KL Rahul, who is expected to make a comeback to international cricket in the Asia up will bat at number five in ODIs and provide stability to the innings.

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja

Hardik and Jadeja should be the preferred all-rounders for the ODI series. Hardik is always improving as a batter in white-ball cricket. Jadeja has also proved his worth as a white-ball player every time he has got an opportunity. One being a seam-bowling all-rounder and the other being a spin-bowling all-rounder helps maintain the balance of the side as well.

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh

Bumrah, Shami, Shardul, and Arshdeep form a formidable pace attack. There is a lot of variety and quality in the attack as well. Bumrah’s comeback will boost the side as well. If all four of them can perform well, India will have good chance of winning the series.

Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the spin twins in South Africa. Both performed incredibly well when India won the ODI series 5-1 in the 2018 season. Kuldeep has been getting regular chances in ODI cricket over Chahal in recent times. It will be interesting to see how it goes post the World Cup.

India’s Predicted 15-Member ODI Squad vs South Africa

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav / Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (WK), KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav