Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer fitness clouds ODI plans
The India squad for the ODI series against South Africa will be picked on Sunday (November 23), with attention on Shubman Gill's fitness, the choice of stand-in captain and the role of Ravindra Jadeja. Gill, the designated skipper, is recovering from a neck injury and is unlikely to feature in the three-match contest, starting November 30. He is currently in Mumbai for an assessment of his injury.
With Shreyas Iyer - the designated vice-captain - also ruled out following a recent injury and subsequent surgery in Australia, the selectors are in a situation where they are forced to look for a new leader. It could come down to them handing over the reins temporarily to KL Rahul, who captained India 12 times in the format between 2022-23. There is also the option of current stand-in Test captain Rishabh Pant. It is to be noted, however, that Pant hasn't featured in an ODI in more than a year since his last game in and against Sri Lanka and was an unused member of India's Champions Trophy squad earlier this year.
Iyer, meanwhile, is out for more than a month and his availability for the white-ball series against New Zealand in January could also be a struggle.
Both Rahul and Pant are in with a chance with the former having a slight edge to be handed captaincy, but sources close to the opener say he has not had any indications so far from the BCCI and the selection committee. The choice of Pant could be tricky since Rahul is considered as the first choice keeper for the ODIs. Pant will have to play purely as a batter.
Then there is also a decision to be made on Jadeja, whose utility with the bat, ball and in the field cannot be overstated. The veteran all-rounder was left out of the three ODIs in Australia, with the reassurance that he is not out of the ODI scheme of things. Whether he will get a call-up - and perhaps an elevated role - remains to be seen.
Other decisions to be made revolve around whether Jasprit Bumrah will be rested and if Nitish Kumar Reddy will be persisted with. Hardik Pandya is undergoing rehab for quadriceps injury that ruled him out of the Asia Cup final in September and is unlikely to feature in the ODIs and that should ensure continuation of Nitish in the squad. Pandya, meanwhile, will play for Baroda in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
The ODI squad will see the return of senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna among others. The selection meeting is expected to take place after the second day's play in the ongoing Test in Guwahati. When it will be announced is up to the BCCI. The three matches are in Ranchi (November 30), Raipur (December 3) and Visakhapatnam (December 6).
