Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s fitness puts ODI plans in doubt

Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s fitness puts ODI plans in doubt

The Indian team for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa will be picked. The main focus will be on Shubman Gill’s fitness, the choice of a stand-in captain, and whether Ravindra Jadeja returns to the side.

Gill, who was named captain for the series, is recovering from a neck injury and is unlikely to play in the three matches starting November 30. He is currently in Mumbai for medical assessment.

Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is also unavailable after a recent injury and surgery in Australia. This leaves the selectors searching for a new leader. The options are KL Rahul, who has captained India 12 times in ODIs between 2022-23, or Rishabh Pant, the current stand-in Test captain. Pant, however, hasn’t played an ODI in over a year, since his last game against Sri Lanka, and was not used in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

Iyer is expected to be out for more than a month, which means his participation in the New Zealand white-ball series in January is also doubtful.

Between Rahul and Pant, Rahul seems to have a slight edge, but sources say he has not received any confirmation from the selectors yet. Choosing Pant could be complicated since Rahul is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, meaning Pant would have to play only as a batter.

Selectors also need to decide on Ravindra Jadeja, who was left out of the ODIs in Australia but remains an important all-rounder. His batting, bowling, and fielding make him a valuable option, and he could return with a bigger role.

Other calls include whether Jasprit Bumrah should be rested and if Nitish Kumar Reddy will continue in the squad. With Hardik Pandya still recovering from a quadriceps injury that kept him out of the Asia Cup final, Nitish is likely to stay. Pandya, meanwhile, will play for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

The ODI squad will see the return of senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna. The selection meeting is expected to happen after the second day’s play in the ongoing Test in Guwahati. The three ODIs will be played in Ranchi (Nov 30), Raipur (Dec 3), and Visakhapatnam (Dec 6).