New Delhi: KL Rahul has been appointed captain for India’s three-match ODI series against South Africa, stepping in after regular skipper Shubman Gill was ruled out with a neck injury sustained during the opening Test in Kolkata. The decision places Rahul at the helm solely for this short assignment, with expectations that Gill will return for the New Zealand ODIs in January 2026.
According to internal discussions, Rahul’s elevation is meant to address an immediate leadership gap. Rishabh Pant was not considered for the role due to limited participation in the format, having played only a single ODI over the past year. The selectors are believed to be focused on maintaining continuity once Gill recovers.
The ODI series begins on November 30 in Ranchi, followed by fixtures in Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6. The squad sees a notable recall for Ravindra Jadeja, who returns to white-ball cricket after eight months. His inclusion follows the decision to rest Axar Patel, who featured in India’s recent campaign in Australia and also formed part of the spin unit during the Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens.
Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, will not feature in the one-day line-up as part of a planned workload break. Despite participating in the T20Is against Australia and recent major tournaments including the Asia Cup, he continues to focus on the ongoing Test series. Mohammed Siraj has also been rested after a demanding schedule across formats.
With openers Gill and Shreyas Iyer recovering from injuries, Yashasvi Jaiswal may have an opportunity to add to his lone ODI cap, potentially forming an opening pair with Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli remains part of the squad, offering fans another chance to watch the experienced batting core in action.
Ruturaj Gaikwad returns after solid performances for India A against South Africa A, contributing scores of 117, 68 not out and 25 in the recent unofficial series. The pace group for this tour features Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India’s ODI squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (captain, wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Dhruv Jurel.
