South Africa Squad For India ODI Series Announced, Faf Du Plessis Makes Return

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced their 15-man squad for the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against India, starting from March 12 in Dharamsala. The second and third ODI will be played on March 15 and 18 respectively.

Faf du Plessis makes a return

Faf du Plessis, who recently stepped down as captain, made a comeback to the ODI squad. He will be featuring the ODI format for the first time since the World Cup in 2019. Du Plessis, one of the senior most player in the side, will be playing under the captaincy of Quinton de Kock in India.

Du Plessis, who has represented South Africa in 143 ODIs, averages 47.47 with 12 centuries and 35 half-centuries in his belt. After stepping down as the captain of the side, Du Plessis, would be able to solely concentrate on his batting and amass runs in abundance on top of the order.

Uncapped spinner George Linde called-up

Uncapped spinner George Linde, who made his Test debut in India last year, has also been included in the side.

The 28-year-old has played only a solitary Test for South Africa, scoring 64 runs and picked up four wickets.

“It is exciting to see the amount of competition for spots that we have within the team and in the franchises, it’s a good headache for us as selectors to have,” said selector Linda Zondi.

“We are satisfied with our picks for what will certainly be a challenging tour of India. We saw some promising performances last year from the T20 squad that travelled there and we wanted to give a player like George Linde another crack at the conditions which seemed to really suit him.

“We are also particularly pleased with the balance of youth and experience that we have achieved while our young leadership group continues to establish itself. We are looking forward to some good performances in this relatively short tour.”

South Africa’s ODI Squad:

Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj.