IND vs SA: 5 Indian Players Who Will Play Their First ODI Match In South Africa
Published - 02 Jan 2022, 09:11 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:02 AM
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Indian selectors announced team India’s 18-member ODI squad on Friday for the three-match series against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma, who was named India’s new white-ball captain, wasn’t included in the ODI series as he hasn’t regained complete fitness from the hamstring injury he suffered during a training session in Mumbai.
KL Rahul, who was named Rohit’s deputy during the T20I series against New Zealand, will lead the team in the ODI series against the Proteas with ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was appointed his deputy.
Virat Kohli, who was in the spotlight after he was forced to step aside from the ODI captaincy, was also included in the side. Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan returned back to the squad after being dropped from the T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who all were part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, have retained their positions in the 50-over format.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, speedster Deepak Chahar were part of the three-match T20I series against New Zealand and have been included in the squad.
Tamil Nadu off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who last played an ODI game for India in 2017, is all set to return to the format. Ashwin and his state teammate Washington Sundar are the two options available for the off-spinner role.
Let us look at five Indian players who will play their first ODI match on South African soil.
5) Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer was the revelation of IPL 2021 and broke into the KKR team with his power-hitting spree against the best bowlers in the world.
Iyer scored 370 runs from 10 innings in the second phase of IPL 2021 at the strike rate of 128.41.
He made his international debut for India in the T20I series against New Zealand where he batted in the middle order and bowled only in the final game.
The lanky all-rounder accumulated 379 runs from six innings at an average of 63.16 for Madhya Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22. He slammed a couple of hundreds, including 151 against Chandigarh. Iyer is likely to make his ODI debut for India in South Africa.
4) Ruturaj Gaikwad
Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was also named in the 18-member squad after his astounding campaign in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22.
Ruturaj slammed four centuries from five innings to accumulate 603 runs at a staggering average of 150.75. His highest score of 168 came against Chandigarh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C in Rajkot.
Ruturaj had an unforgettable season with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. He was one of the architects of the Yellow Army in their fourth IPL title win.
Ruturaj scored 635 runs from 16 innings at an impressive strike rate of 136.26 with the help of four 50-plus scores and a whirlwind century against Rajasthan Royals.
He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021 but is yet to play in the 50-over format for India.
Also Read: Selectors Think He Will Do Wonders For Indian Team – Chetan Sharma On Ruturaj Gaikwad
3) Rishabh Pant
The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter is very well known for his aggressive batting and has the ability to snatch the game from the opposition.
Pant has played 18 One Day International matches for India since playing his first match against West Indies in 2018.
Pant has amassed 529 runs at an average of 33.06 and a strike rate of 114.25 with his highest score being 78. Pant is yet to play an ODI game in South Africa.
Also Read: Was Hoping For Rishabh Pant To Be Named Vice Captain – Saba Karim
2) Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav had to wait for a long period to make the cut for India in the international arena. However, his persistency in IPL and India A tours forced the selectors to pick him for the England T20Is at home earlier this year.
Suryakumar fashionably started his career, as he opened his account with a six off England speedster Jofra Archer’s bowling in the third T20I in Ahmedabad.
The Mumbai batsman also made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in July and bagged the player of the series award for scoring 124 from three innings.
1) KL Rahul
Interestingly for Rahul, he will be captaining India for the first time in a country where he is yet to play a white-ball game.
Rahul has established himself as a prolific batter of the Indian team who can bat in any position. Rahul has also batted in the middle-order to accommodate Rohit and Dhawan at the top.
Rahul has made 1509 runs from 37 innings at the strike rate of 89.29 since playing the format in 2016.
Also Read: IND vs SA: We Are Grooming KL Rahul As A Leader: Chetan Sharma
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team KL Rahul Rishabh Pant Ruturaj Gaikwad South Africa vs India 2021-22 Suryakumar Yadav Venkatesh Iyer
