Almost a month after the final of the ODI World Cup against Australia ended in a heartbreak, the Indian team will return to action in the format, albeit with only three members of the World Cup team featuring in a three-match series against South Africa, starting at the New Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
While the focus has shifted to the shortest version considering there’s a World Cup in the next six months, the three-match ODI series holds importance for the new generation of players, hoping to make the most of the opportunities in the absence of the regulars.
For India, only three – KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Kuldeep Yadav – of the 15 member squad that reached the World Cup final in Ahmedabad are here to take part in the 50-overs leg of the tour. For their part, South Africa have chosen a slower transition and retained nine of their World Cup squad.
Shreyas, however, will be available only for the first game, as he is likely to feature in the intra-squad three-day fixture, to prepare for the Test matches that will follow. Iyer last played a Test against Australia in March, after which he was sidelined with a back injury. It’s likely Iyer will reclaim his middle-order spot, which had been occupied by Ajinkya Rahane in his absence.
With two hundreds and three fifties under his belt, Iyer was a crucial component of the Indian middle order at the World Cup and so it only makes sense that the think tank persist with him in the fresh cycle.
Suryakumar Yadav, who hit a fourth T20I hundred and Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up his best T20I figures will look to continue from where they left, as KL Rahul assumes the responsibilities of captaining the side.
Another chance for Sanju Samson
The ODI series will provide another chance for Kerala’s wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson to get back to the scheme of things. Samson, who has so far scored 390 runs from 13 matches, has been on and off the white-ball squad, and a consistent show from the keeper batter could ensure him a longer run in national jersey.
However, with Rahul proving himself as more than a decent wicket-keeping option at the World Cup, it will be interesting if Samson is included purely as a batter in the side, and in that case, he will be expected to go after the bowling to cement his spot.
Besides Samson, there will be expectations from Axar Patel, who in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, will be the lone all-round option in the team. Along with the wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar’s finger spin will add the variety in the bowling department.
The ODI series will be a new territory for Rinku Singh, who has already shown his batting prowess in the shortest format. The left-hander will be expected to take up the finisher’s role in the side, but has to keep in mind that the format is vastly different from T20Is, and will therefore be expected to play according to the situation.
For the South Africans, it’s also a relatively newer side, with the likes of Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee, rested for the Test series. Skipper Aiden Markram in that case will have to shoulder the responsibility of piling on the runs along with the likes of Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen. David Miller will be expected to guard the middle order against the potent Indian spin attack that could upset any good batting side on their day.