India vs SA first ODI: Chance for Men in Blue to bounce back and alleviate pain
India’s crippling loss in the Test series against South Africa will sting, for quite a while. Talk of wholesale personnel changes and systemic failures has only just begun, and the chatter is bound to get louder.
In the midst of crisis, the white-ball leg, which commences with the first ODI at the JSCA International Stadium here on Sunday, serves as a temporary distraction.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has taken the brunt of the blow for India’s red-ball debacles, must now focus on salvaging some positives from this South African visit.
To have Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli around should lift the mood in the camp. The duo — now playing only the ODI format — turned the clock back with an unbroken partnership to guide India past Australia in Sydney last month.
K.L. Rahul, the stand-in captain, welcomed the return of Rohit and Kohli. “To have senior players in the team obviously makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident. Just having their presence and experience helps out a lot of players in the dressing room. We’re really happy that they’re here,” Rahul said on Saturday.
Kohli, in particular, has a fantastic record at this venue — scoring two centuries and a fifty in his five ODI outings here.
Kohli and Rohit must shoulder added responsibility, given that two top-order slots have been left vacant due to injuries to Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
Gill’s absence provides an excellent chance for Yashasvi Jaiswal to showcase his skills. A naturally attacking opener, Jaiswal has played only one ODI thus far. Big scores in this three-match series could see the southpaw carve a niche for himself in the 50-over format.
With Rahul keen to continue batting at six, Tilak Varma could take Iyer’s spot at four. Tilak sent down a few offies at the nets on Saturday — a valuable, additional trait that could help him grab a spot in the XI.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has featured in 11 ODIs, leads the bowling attack.
South Africa, riding high on confidence, is at near full strength. Kagiso Rabada is the lone absentee (rib injury), but the side has ample pace fillers in Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger and Corbin Bosch.
Captain Temba Bavuma will relish batting alongside old mate Quinton de Kock — a tried and tested combination in the PowerPlay.
Aiden Markram and Matthew Breetzke, who has made a bright start to his ODI career, complete a stacked top-order.
Can India ease the pain ever so slightly with a stellar effort in the white-ball leg?
The squads (from): India: K.L. Rahul (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (Capt.), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen.
Match starts at 1.30 p.m. IST.
Published – November 29, 2025 05:55 pm IST
