4 months ago. Paarl, South Africa

Virat Kohli the batter in focus as India take on SA in 3-match ODI series

#ViratKohli #IndianCricketTeam #SouthAfricaCricketTeam

Virat Kohli is now free from the burden of captaincy
Last week Kohli gave up India’s Test captaincy
KL Rahul will lead India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa

Virat Kohli, Team India’s superstar batter, is set to play in the first ODI of three-match series against South Africa at Paarl only as player for the first time in five years. On Wednesday, when India will take the field, Kohli will play under India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul, who will be leading India in absence of injured captain Rohit Sharma. Kohli gave up Test captaincy last Saturday after being removed from ODI leadership in November. He earlier stepped down from India’s T20I captaincy.

Also Read: ‘Superhero’, ‘epitome of leadership’: Indian pacers pay tributes to Kohli

Whether he is batting in the middle or fielding at the boundary line, Kohli's every move is tracked but some of that attention will now have to be shared by Rahul.

More importantly, will he be at his usual animated best on the field or will the cricketing world see a rather subdued Kohli after his stunning resignation from Test captaincy brought an end to his innings as the official leader of the team across formats? He did not want to leave ODI captaincy after relinquishing the role in the shortest format and it led to a war of words with the BCCI on how the entire matter was handled.

Also Read: Dean Elgar’s DRS error compared to Sachin Tendulkar’s 2011 World Cup controversy

His supporters and Indian cricket, in general, will be hoping that Kohli has put his differences with the BCCI firmly behind him and come Wednesday, he starts a new innings with his willow doing most of the talking. A highly desired century after two years would be cherry on top.

Rahul, who is leading the side in the absence of an injured Rohit Sharma, is expected to turn to Kohli for advice during the series. Not only Kohli has a major role to play as a batter, but as vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said on the eve of the series, the star "will always be a leader" in the team.

Also Read: South Africa beat India by 7 wickets to win Test series 2-1 on Day 4

With the new leadership and support staff, India will look to win the series with one eye on preparations for the 2023 World Cup and also make up for the disappointment of unexpectedly going down in the Tests last week.

Full-strength Indian team

The last time a full-strength India played an ODI series was at home against England in March before a second-string squad travelled to Sri Lanka in July.

Also Read: KL Rahul to lead Lucknow franchise in IPL 2022 : Report

Rahul batted in the middle-order against England but it remains to be seen if he moves back to the top alongside Shikhar Dhawan.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made the squad following an exceptional domestic season, might have to wait longer for his ODI debut.

Also Read: Who will be India’s next Test captain as Virat Kohli steps down?

It will be crucial three games for the seasoned Dhawan, who has already lost his place in the T20 side.

The southpaw has thrived under pressure in the past and will be looking to solidify his position as the first-choice opener alongside Rohit when the latter returns from injury.

Also Read: Virat Kohli steps down as India Test captain

Kohli will bat at his usual number three spot while there will be a toss-up between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer for the number four position.

Rishabh Pant is expected to come at number five while Venkatesh Iyer is likely to make his 50-over debut as the all-rounder at six, having shown promise in the T20s against New Zealand.

Also Read: Got carried away: Virat Kohli on Dean Elgar DRS controversy at Newlands

The two spinners likely to play are Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, who has made a comeback after more than four years.

Bumrah, Bhuvneshar to lead pace attack

Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will share the load in the pace department while for the third pace option, the management could pick Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna.

Mohammad Siraj, who injured his hamstring during the Test series, is also fit as suggested by Bumrah on Monday.

On the previous tour, India hammered the hosts 5-1 in ODIs and they will draw confidence from that.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Royal Challengers Bangalore target in-demand Shreyas Iyer

South Africa will be in high spirits after a memorable victory in the five-day format.

Skipper Temba Bavuma played a few crucial in the preceding Tests and he will carry that confidence into his batting as well as his leadership.

Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar suggests Rishabh Pant’s name for India Test captaincy role

Quinton de Kock, who retired from Test cricket after the series opener against India, starts his life as a white-ball only player.

Tall left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, who excelled in his maiden Test series, is expected to trouble the Indian batters with his extra bounce and variations in the short format after earning a maiden call-up.

If Tests were any indication, the ODIs would be an intensely-fought affair.

Squads

India: KL Rahul (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

Match starts 2 PM IST.

#IndianCricketTeam #SouthAfricaCricketTeam #KLRahul #JaspritBumrah #RishabhPant #ODI #Cricket

Virat Kohli the batter in focus as India take on SA in 3-match ODI series

Trending on Opoyi