IND vs SA: Why BCCI Preferred KL Rahul Over Rishabh Pant As ODI Captain For South Africa Series? Report

By Vishal Pushkar
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:24 PM (IST)

Source:JND

India vs South Africa: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a Shubman Gill-less Team India squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa, set to take place on November 30 in Ranchi. The board has entrusted KL Rahul to lead the side in the absence of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. Notably, both of them are currently recovering from their respective injuries.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has also been drafted into the ODI setup after a long hiatus. Pant, who is currently leading the red-ball side in the absence of Gill, was another option as a potential skipper for the ODI series. However, the board went ahead with Rahul's name due to a peculiar reason revealed in a report by PTI.

Also Read: IND vs SA 2nd Test Live Scorecard

As per a report by PTI, Pant being a part of just one ODI match in the previous one-year was a primary reason for selectors ignoring Pant.

The report further stated that Rahul's captaincy for the series should be seen in isolation and not long-term.

“Rahul’s captaincy is a one-off and should be seen in isolation. Rishabh (Pant) wasn’t considered, as he has played only one ODI game in the last one year. The selectors expect that Shubman Gill’s neck injury will heal and he will be back against New Zealand (3 ODIs in January 2026)," a BCCI source told PTI.

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Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Headline Star-Studded Squad

Superstar batter Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will headline the three-match ODI series. This will be their first series in the Indian sub-continent after their individual retirements in Tests.

India is set to face South Africa in a three-match ODI series, starting with the first match on November 30 in Ranchi, followed by fixtures in Raipur on December 3 and Vizag on December 6.

Also Read: Shubman Gill to make a comeback in this series

India squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (Captain) (Wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.