IND vs SA 1st ODI: India and South Africa will lock horns in the first ODI match of the three-match series at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, December 17.
The Men in Blue haven't won an ODI match in Johannesburg since their victory over the Proteas by one run in January 2011.
KL Rahul will be leading the Indian side in the three-match series as they aim to set the tone with impactful performances ahead of the Test series.
The visitors will be without the services of a few senior players as regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah are rested for the white-ball leg whereas Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami are unavailable due to injuries.
The first ODI match will be a special one as it will be a pink ODI which means the hosts will be wearing a pink kit instead of their traditional green kit.
There is a tradition of the Pink Day ODIs where the South African team shows support for breast cancer awareness.
Cricket South Africa has urged all the spectators to actively participate in the significant cause by donning pink clothes as the costs of the match will be donated to the initiatives related to breast cancer.
Talking about this tradition, Cricket South Africa's CEO Pholetsi Moseki said, "We are delighted to once again raise awareness about breast cancer with cricket fans. To help in the fight against breast cancer, awareness alone is not enough."
"We encourage people to be proactive and get screened. Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer among women in South Africa, but it can affect men as well. Early detection can lead to effective treatment and a positive outcome," he added.
The hosts will be led by Aiden Markram who also captained the side in the T20I series which ended with a result of 1-1 as they will be aiming to maintain their dominating record in the pink ODIs.
The Proteas have played 11 pink ODI matches so far and have a remarkable record of nine wins. In 2015, a pink ODI match witnessed history when South Africa's then skipper AB De Villiers smashed a century against West Indies in just 31 balls.
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India vs South Africa ODI Squads:
India Squad: Rajat Patidar, Sai Sudharsan, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w/c), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep
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South Africa Squad: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lizaad Williams, Wiaan Mulder, Ottniel Baartman, Mihlali Mpongwana, Kyle Verreynne