India vs South Africa - India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), 1st ODI

India vs South Africa – India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), 1st ODI India (IND) will cross the swords with South Africa (SA) in the first ODI of three-match series on October 06 (Thursday) at Ekana Sports City Stadium in Ardonamau, Uttar Pradesh (Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow). The match will kick-start at 01:30 PM IST.

After a disappointing Asia Cup 2022, Team India have returned with a bang. The two consecutive T20I series vs Australia and South Africa have seen India win handsomely. The bilateral series has always been Team India’s strength. But the upcoming ODI series vs South Africa promises to be a more competitive affair.

India won the T20I series 2-1 and have momentum. The ODI squad will have different look as Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side. For South Africa, this three-match ODI series is vital as ICC Super League Points are at stake. They are currently languishing at the 11th spot and in danger of not qualifying for the 50-over World Cup directly.

The competition is even more intense as a second-string Indian team shall be playing a full-strength South African team. The second-string Indian team have won the last two ODI series against West Indies and Zimbabwe. But the South Africa series promises to be a tougher contest as they would be up some of the best bowlers and batters in the business. The 3-match ODI series begins on October 6th with the final match being played on October 11.

Shikhar Dhawan is leading India in the absence of India’s 2022 T20I World Cup-bound team. While Shikhar Dhawan’s team play 1st ODI tomorrow, Rohit Sharma-led Indian team will fly for Perth on the same day. It is important to note India have announced a second-string squad for the ODI series.

Most of the players, who featured in the T20I series, will fly to Australia and prepare for the 2022 T2oI World Cup. Meanwhile, some of them like pacer Deepak Chahar, batter Shreyas Iyer, and spinner Ravi Bishnoi who are in the World Cup as standbys will play the ODIs. They will fly only after the ODI series.

The 16-member squad for the ODI series was only announced on Sunday. Hence, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side will have some new faces in the squad, including Rajat Patidar and Mukesh Kumar. The duo has been in fine form of late, and their recent performances have been duly rewarded. There is also a possibility that the RCB-Royal Challengers Bangalore’s superstars like Shahbaz Ahmed and Rajat Patidar could make their debuts for India in this series.

Batter Rahul Tripathi and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed are some of the uncapped players in the squad. Rahul Tripathi earned his maiden national call-up during the T20I series against Ireland in June. Shahbaz Ahmed was a part of the squad for the South Africa T20Is. Both were also part of the Indian team in the Zimbabwe ODI tour but didn’t get a game. Rajat Patidar’s selection is rewarded for his impressive run of scores across formats this year.

India, on the other hand, have not picked a single player from their T20I World Cup squad, though three of their four standby players – Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar, and Shreyas Iyer – will play in the ODIs. They will be led by Shikhar Dhawan, while the squad will feature seven uncapped players, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Rahul Tripathi, Rajat Patidar, and Mukesh Kumar – though the first three have played T20Is for India.

India vs South Africa – India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), 1st ODI

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan, the team’s skipper will open the innings with Shubman Gill in the ODIs against Proteas. He is nowadays preferred as an ODI specialist. The 36-year-old opener will lead the team in the absence of the 2022 T20I World Cup-bound squad.

He had successful tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe where he amassed 168 runs and 154 runs averaging 56 and 77 respectively in 3 ODI series.

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was Man of the series against West Indies and Zimbabwe where he amassed 205 and 245 runs respectively averaging 102.5 and 122.5. After the two successful ODI tours, he now boasts of a remarkable average of 71.29 amassing 499 runs in 9 ODIs. His last few ODI scores read: 64,43,98* (against West Indies) and 82*, 33 and 130 (against Zimbabwe).

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer might be a one-down batter for the team in India- South Africa 1st ODI. The right-handed batter could not perform well in the recent T20I series. He played in only the 3rd T20I against South Africa and got out for just 1 run. He will aim to come up with a better show in the opening ODI game. He had a good West Indies ODI tour where he amassed 161 runs in 3 ODIs averaging 53.67.

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson played only 1 ODI in Sri Lanka 2021 tour where he scored 46 runs before managing 72 runs in 3 ODI matches on the West Indies tour and 58 runs in 3 ODIs against Zimbabwe. He has scored 176 ODI runs so far averaging 44 in 7 ODIs and will be preferred to bat in the middle order. He will compete for a spot in the XI with keeper Ishan Kishan and uncapped Rahul Tripathi.

Ishan Kishan (WK)

Ishan Kishan who has played 19 T20Is has played only 6 ODIs so far where he amassed 144 runs averaging 28.8 with a highest of 59. The left-hander, however, has been quite consistent, with 543 runs in 19 T20Is at an average of 30.17 and a strike rate of 131.16. But he isn’t getting many chances in T20Is with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik getting preferred instead. He will compete for the middle order slot with uncapped Rahul Tripathi.

Rahul Tripathi

Rahul Tripathi’s wait for a call-up in the national side finally came to an end with BCCI declaring the 17-member squad for the T20Is against Ireland. The middle-order batter, who has been scoring constantly in the IPL, was finally rewarded for his stellar show in the lucrative T20 competition.

Batting at a strike rate of 158.33, the right-handed batter Rahul Tripathi had accumulated 413 runs from 14 matches in IPL 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had scored 397 in 17 matches in 2021 and was a key player for his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. He is yet to debut despite being named in the ODI squad for Zimbabwe and T20Is against Ireland.

Rajat Patidar will give Rahul Tripathi some tough competition for the middle order spot. Notably, the Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar played at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. So far, he has played 12 IPL games and has scored 404 runs at an average of 40.4 and a strike rate of 144.3. He had a great IPL, a century in the Ranji Trophy final, two hundreds in Tests against New Zealand A, and a 45 not out in the first List A game against the Black Caps A side.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur missed making it to the 2022 T20I World Cup squad but has an impressive all-around average in both T20Is and ODIs. He has managed 224 runs in 24 ODIs averaging 28 and has also picked 36 scalps averaging 33.94. In the recent ODIs against West Indies, he picked 7 scalps averaging 17.86 in 3 ODIs and 4 scalps in 3 ODIs against Zimbabwe averaging 23.25.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav’s comeback performance in IPL 2022, in which he bowled more quickly and confidently while scooping up 21 wickets for Delhi Capitals, was a very encouraging sight. During India’s T20I series against South Africa in June, many people anticipated that his illustrious streak would continue.

But due to a hand injury, he was unable to play in that series, go to Ireland and England, or the ODIs against the West Indies. Kuldeep Yadav picked 3 scalps in as many ODIs against Zimbabwe averaging 41. He has picked 112 scalps in 69 ODIs averaging 28.63.

Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar was the Man of the Match in the 1st ODI against Zimbabwe, picking career-best 3/27 in a fantastic 7-over spell after returning to the XI. He was rested for the 2nd ODI to manage his workload. He picked 5 scalps against Zimbabwe averaging 20.4 in 2 ODIs and has 15 scalps in 9 ODIs averaging 27.67.  Deepak Chahar is returning to top-flight cricket after nearly seven months.

Deepak Chahar also averages 60 with the bat having scored 180 runs in 9 ODIs. His last few scores read 69* (Sri Lanka), 54 (South Africa), and 38 (West Indies) before failing with the bat vs Zimbabwe.

Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan had played only 1 ODI against West Indies in the 2022 tour and didn’t pick a wicket despite going for 54 runs in 6 overs. He has only played 2 ODIs and has picked 3 scalps averaging 40. He picked 3/66 in a match against Zimbabwe. He will be given the tough competition with spinner Ravi Bishnoi and uncapped pacer Mukesh Kumar.

Mohammed Siraj

Ever since he made his ODI debut in 2019, Mohammed Siraj has only been able to play 10 ODI matches, taking 13 wickets at an economy rate of 4.8 averaging 31, with his best bowling figures being 3/29 against the West Indies during the home series earlier this year.

He picked 4 scalps in 3 ODIs in the recent West Indies tour, averaging 29. Against Zimbabwe, he picked 2 scalps in as many games averaging 26.