India tour of South Africa: Amid everything happening in Indian cricket, the BCCI selectors are likely to announce India’s ODI squad for South Africa series and the buck stops again at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Follow India tour of South Africa Live on InsideSport.IN.
India tour of South Africa: ODI team selection likely on December 26, who leads the team if Rohit Sharma unfit?
While, possibilities of Virat Kohli opting out of the three ODIs after getting sacked as the captain in the format are rife, new Team India white-ball captain Rohit Sharma suffered an injury while practicing in Mumbai ahead of the tour which also consists of three Test matches starting December 26 in Centurion.
Under the given situation, it can become interesting to see who gets the captaincy hat if Rohit does not recover on time. If Virat Kohli becomes the part of the series in the absence of Rohit Sharma – does he lead the team – or plays under someone like KL Rahul. A lot is on cards when the team is announced.
According to the sources, KL Rahul is also the front-runner to become the Virat Kohli’s deputy in the Tests after Rohit’s injury. Notably, the 34-year-old replaced Ajinkya Rahane in the role when BCCI announced the Test squad for the South Africa series last week.
Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah are the other three candidates to captain India in South Africa ODIs, however it should be noted that KL Rahul was named Rohit Sharma’s deputy during the 3-T20I series last month. So, it’s almost certain that the 29-year-old will be selectors’ and management’s first choice, but will he be given the charge if Kohli makes himself available remains to be seen.
The unceremonious exit of Kohli from the ODI captaincy after the 48-hour ultimatum, might also see Kohli not agreeing to play the role of a makeshift captain
Further, December 26 is also the date when Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 concludes and selectors are certainly keeping a close tab on the 50-over domestic tournament.
The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has scored 4 hundreds in the last 7 days, and Venkatesh Iyer – the KKR and Madhya Pradesh star with the fourth highest run in the ongoing tournament – are the likely candidates to make their ODI debut in South Africa.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar are also plying their trade in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021, having picked 14 and 12 wickets respectively. Chahal made a comeback in the India T20I squad against New Zealand, and would be hoping to travel to India and break into the ODI squad as well.
India tour of South Africa: ODI team selection likely on December 26, who leads the team if Rohit Sharma unfit?
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