Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant snubbed as India playing XI picked for 1st ODI vs South Africa
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Former Indian wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel picked his ideal playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi and has omitted the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad from his final XI.
After a humiliating whitewash against the Proteas in the longest format of the game, the Men in Blue are striving to turn the tables in the white-ball format. The ODI series begins on the 30th of November.
The Indian ODI side is all set to undergo a major revamp, as Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are set to miss the games due to injuries.
Rishabh Pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad sidelined as India's ODI XI picked
Former wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel was recently asked for his opinion on picking India's playing XI for the opening ODI against South Africa.
In the playing XI, he has not sided with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant, though these two players have been kept in the mix of things and are more suitable to take the lead in the race for the First ODI.
Ruturaj Gaikwad came out of a stunning series against South Africa A and was also awarded the Player of the Series. Gaikwad has also been spotted practicing alongside Virat Kohli in the nets in Ranchi.
Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has not played in the format since July 2024. Though he has been stunning for India in the Test format, he has only played 31 matches for India since his debut and has averaged a modest 33.50.
Parthiv Patel backs India's T20I star for ODI spot
Because KL Rahul is now the captain of the side in Shubman Gill's absence and is likely to keep wickets as well, the former Indian wicket-keeper feels there is no need for Rishabh Pant in the team.
He has backed the Indian T20I star Tilak Varma, who has been doing a commendable job in the shortest format of the game. Tilak made his debut for India in ODIs back in 2023 and has played 4 games in his career.
In these four matches, he also scored a half-century against South Africa at Paarl. He flaunts good domestic numbers in white-ball cricket and has amassed 1724 runs in 44 games at an average of 45.36 and 5 centuries to his name.
Speaking to a Star Sports show, Parthiv Patel opined that he should be slotted in at no. 4 and sidelined the likes of Rishabh Pant, who had a poor series in the Test format, and also sidelined Ruturaj Gaikwad.
India to opt between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar
The wicket-keeper batter and currently the Gujarat Titans coach also said that Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy will be picked based on conditions. However, he forgot Gautam Gambhir's love for batting depth.
He has sided with a three-spin, three-pace attack, but Gautam Gambhir is most likely to bring in Nitish Kumar Reddy, alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana. However, the Titans coach has also named Prasidh Krishna in the XI.
Parthiv Patel's India XI for first ODI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.
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India National Cricket Team South Africa National Cricket Team Ruturaj Gaikwad Rishabh Pant Tilak Varma Parthiv Patel India vs South Africa
