On Sunday, November 23, the India team will be selected for the ODI series against South Africa. Shubman Gill‘s fitness, the selection of a stand-in captain, and Ravindra Jadeja’s role will all be considered.
The three-match event, which begins on November 30, is unlikely to involve Gill, the designated captain, as he recovers from a neck ailment. He is in Mumbai right now to have his ailment evaluated.
The selectors are compelled to find a new captain because Shreyas Iyer, the chosen vice-captain, was also ruled out due to a recent injury and subsequent surgery in Australia. It might come down to them temporarily giving KL Rahul, who captained India 12 times in the format between 2022 and 2023, the keys. Rishabh Pant, the current stand-in Test captain, is another candidate. However, it should be mentioned that Pant was left out of India’s Champions Trophy team earlier this year and hasn’t played in an ODI in over a year prior to that match against Sri Lanka.
Iyer has been out for over a month, and it may be difficult for him to play in the January white-ball series against New Zealand.
Though sources close to the opener claim he has not received any signals from the BCCI or the selection committee thus far, Rahul and Pant are both in the running for the captaincy, with the former holding a slight advantage. Given that Rahul is regarded as the starting keeper for the ODIs, selecting Pant may be difficult. Pant will only be allowed to play as a hitter.
Additionally, a decision must be made regarding Jadeja, whose value as a batsman, ball and field player cannot be understated. With the assurance that he is still part of the ODI scheme of things, the seasoned all-rounder was excluded from the three ODIs in Australia. It’s unclear if he will be called up and possibly given a more senior role.
Other choices include whether to rest Jasprit Bumrah and whether to continue using Nitish Kumar Reddy. Since Hardik Pandya is recovering from a quadriceps injury that prevented him from playing in the Asia Cup final in September, Nitish should remain in the squad for the ODIs. In the meantime, Pandya will represent Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as well as Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna, will rejoin the ODI team. Following the second day of play in the upcoming Test in Guwahati, the selection meeting is anticipated to take place. The BCCI will decide when to make the announcement. The three games are scheduled for November 30 in Ranchi, December 3 in Raipur, and December 6 in Visakhapatnam.
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