Team India’s much anticipated ODI squad for the South Africa tour has been announced with KL Rahul taking over the captaincy helms temporarily. The 15-man squad will feature the return of Ravichandran Ashwin, while Ruturaj Gaikwad has been given a maiden call for the ODI format by the selectors. Venkatesh Iyer will serve as a backup option for Hardik Pandya in the squad.
Rohit Sharma still unfit
The selection of the ODI team was put on hold as new captain Rohit Sharma was injured, as selectors were optimistic about his availability. Rohit, handed over the ODI captaincy in December, didn’t participate in the Test series and will now miss out on the limited-overs format. KL Rahul will take the captaincy from Rohit as former ODI captain Virat Kohli will serve as a member of the team.
"Rohit Sharma is not fit, he is in rehab and he is not going for the ODI series in South Africa. He is working on and building on his fitness. We never wanted to take chance with him," chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said before announcing the team.
"We are looking to groom KL Rahul and we have confidence in him. He has proved his leadership qualities. KL is the best one who can handle the side. He is an all-format player and he has got good experience of captaincy ... this is what all selectors think," he added.
Ashwin returns after four years
Member of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, Ashwin has also made a return to the ODI squad after four years of absence. His last ODI was against the West Indies in 2017, as he tries to add to his 111 caps in the 50-over format. He also made his return to the T20I squad in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Ruturaj handed maiden call; Iyer rewarded for consistency at the domestic circuit
Orange cap holder in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Ruturaj Gaikwad will also board a flight to the Rainbow Nation. Representing Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy he scored four hundreds in five innings to carry his sensational form. He ended up scoring 603 runs in the tournament. Venkatesh Iyer was also enjoying his form in the domestic circuit as he smashed 379 runs in the tournament with two hundreds and picked up nine wickets in the tournament.
Big names missing
All-rounder Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja were also not selected as they were not fit while senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who is in the team for the ongoing Test series, was rested.
When will the ODI series start?
The three-match ODI series will start on January 19 at Boland Park in Paarl. The same destination will host the second ODI two days later while the tour will end on January 23 at Newlands, Cape Town.
India's ODI squad: TEAM : KL Rahul (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket keeper), Y Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (Vice Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj.
