In the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill, the Indian selectors have designated experienced batter KL Rahul as the substitute captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. He was the Test vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, who came second in the captaincy race.
The Indian side declared its team for the three 50-over matches against South Africa. The series is expected to start just after the Test series wraps up in Guwahati. The series kicks off on the 30th of November.
Shubman Gill, the captain, suffered a neck spasm, which ruled him out not only of the Test series but also of the first match at Eden Gardens. The ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has also been ruled out recovering from a laceration injury suffered during the Australia tour. Therefore, India had no choice but to undergo a complete change in the command.
Why would you know KL Rahul appointed India’s ODI captain over Rishabh Pant?
With both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli officially out of the captaincy picture, KL Rahul was left as the senior-most player in the current Indian squad. It is thus that KL Rahul took the command of the side in Shubman Gill’s place, who was sidelined by a neck strain.
The Indian team and management are confident that Shubman Gill will be available for the following white-ball series against New Zealand, so the KL Rahul switch is only a temporary measure.
“Pursuing the captaincy of KL Rahul is an isolated case and should be treated as such. He hasn’t played regularly therefore Rishabh (Pant) was not taken into consideration; just one ODI game and that’s all he had in the last one year. The selectors think that Shubman Gill’s neck injury will get better and he will be able to play against New Zealand (3 ODIs in January 2026),” the BCCI source said to PTI on the condition of not revealing his identity.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma get a chance in India’s ODI squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad, a much-discussed player, is now ready to return to ODIs in the upcoming series against South Africa. Recently he was in the unofficial ODIs against South Africa A and impressed everyone with his batting skills.
The 28-year-old captain of CSK scored a total of 117, 68* and 25 runs in three matches. Gaikwad received a call to join the squad when both the right-handed batters, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer were unavailable.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is very likely to receive his long-awaited call-up for the white-ball cricket’s longer format and will open the innings with the former captain Rohit Sharma, in Shubman Gill’s absence.
In the middle-order spot, Gaikwad would have to contend with Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma, who are very much part of the Indian team, for his place.
Ravindra Jadeja is ready for the comeback since the Champions Trophy
The veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is prepared to be back in the white-ball format for the first time since his appearance in the ICC Champions Trophy final. Still, Jasprit Bumrah has been kept in line for Tests and T20s, with the T20 World Cup preparations for next year.
With Jadeja’s return, Axar Patel is out of the team, as he was very regular in all formats for India and would need to reduce his workload a bit. Hardik Pandya is still Missing due to his injury, and Mohammed Siraj has been rested once again.
