SA vs IND 2018, 1st ODI, Durban: Hosts Bat First, Aiden Markram Replaces AB de Villiers

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first in the first One-Day International at Kingsmead, Durban.

The hosts have replaced injured AB de Villiers with Test opener Aiden Markram while the visitors have recalled Ajinkya Rahane in the playing eleven.

Here is what the captains said:

Faf du Plessis:

“Looks a pretty good wicket. The Kingsmead wicket speeds up a bit. Aiden Markram comes in. He will be batting at number 4. The rest of the team is our usual ODI team. Imran has been the key to our success.”

Virat Kohli:

“We would have batted first as well. We have got such a balance in our side that we can bowl the opposition side. We are a side which chases well. We will have crowd support behind us as well.The mood in the change room is exactly the same. There is positive energy in the change room. It has been a wonderful last few days for us. We will certainly start more confident.”

Preview:

With so much at stake in the series, both the teams will be keen to start the six-match series on a winning note. The series will provide India with an opportunity to leapfrog South Africa and take the top spot in ICC ODI rankings. The Proteas are currently leading the rankings with 120 points followed by India (119) and England (116).

The Men in Blue can move to the top of the table if they win the forthcoming series by 4-2 or better. On the other hand, the hosts will just have to draw the series to hold on their number one ranking. But in case, India lose the series 5-1 or get whitewashed, they will slip behind third-placed England by a fraction of a point.

The momentum is currently with India after their win in the last Test. However, the stats and history is in the favour of the hosts who have never lost an ODI series against India at home.

Here is the playing eleven of both teams:

South Africa:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (C), Aiden Markram, JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Andile Phehlukwayo.

India:

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal