Venkatesh Iyer is making his ODI debut for India while veterans like Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have returned to the side for the first of the three-match series against South Africa on Wednesday. 

Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bat at the Boland Park. Fast bowler Marco Jansen is debuting for the hosts. 

Speaking at the toss, Bavuma said, “Wicket looks a bit dry. Would like to make use of the best of the batting conditions. Hopefully it slows up and the slower bowlers can get in the game.”

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He further stated that it was hard getting away from the “high” of the Test series, as the Proteas mounted a comeback to beat India 2-1 and preserve their unblemished record at home against the Men in Blue. 

Meanwhile, stand-in Indian skipper KL Rahul said that he would have liked to bat first as well, added “we’re always ready to do both things”. 

Rahul, who is leading the side in the absence of the injured Rohit Sharma, said the last few days have been emotional after Virat Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain following the series loss to South Africa. 

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“Last couple of days and right after Tests there was a lot going on. Emotional for the team. Lot of us have debuted under Virat. Obviously he’s still with us and integral part of the team,” Rahul said. 

He also confirmed that Shreys Iyer has been chosen for the number four spot ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. 

“Just want to try out few things in terms of tactics and strategies. Personnel will not change much. Want to give them a good run. Experimentation doesn’t mean we’ll go in and start hitting from ball one,” Rahul said. 

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Playing XIs:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (WK), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

India: KL Rahul (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal