Cricket INTL Admin November 24, 2025 0 Comments

KL Rahul to Lead Indian ODI Squad as Pant and Gaikwad Secure Spots for SA Tour

The Indian squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa was unveiled on Sunday, with KL Rahul appointed as the captain.

Shubman Gill’s injury during the first Test against South Africa has sidelined him for the series, paving the way for Rahul to assume the leadership role. Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the vice-captain.

Experienced batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also part of the team. The duo had previously secured victory with a crucial partnership in the third ODI against Australia.

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Ruturaj Gaikwad, last seen in the 50-over format for India in 2023, has been recalled as the backup opener. Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to open the batting alongside Rohit, while the battle for the number 4 spot — vacated by Shreyas Iyer due to a spleen injury — is expected to be between Tilak Varma and Pant.

Ravindra Jadeja has been preferred over Axar Patel as the spinning all-rounder, accompanied by Washington Sundar. Pace lead Jasprit Bumrah has been given rest, along with his Test counterpart, Mohammed Siraj. The pace department will feature Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

India ODI squad vs South Africa

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel