- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 29 Nov 2025 08:38 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs SA: After losing the two-match Test series against South Africa by 2-0, the hosts will aim to take their revenge in the three-match ODI series. South Africa came to India with very few expectations but has performed brilliantly after beating India in the Test series.
The visitors will now try to win the ODI series as well, whereas the host will be playing without the services of their regular skipper, Shubman Gill, who has been ruled out owing to injury. KL Rahul will be leading the team from the front in Gill's absence.
But the host will face the daunting task of replacing Gill as an opener in this format. The selectors had picked both Jaiswal and Ruturaj in the team, and this duo is in contention to replace Gill as the opener.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been recalled to the national side after 16 months on the back of brilliant performances against South Africa A. He had scored tons of runs and helped the team win the series as he had scored 201 runs after playing three matches.
Gaikwad finally gets a chance
Apart from that, he has been in sublime form in domestic cricket, scoring 514 runs across eight matches at an average of 85.66. He last played for India in 2024 against Zimbabwe, but was soon snubbed due to stiff competition.
At the same time, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in this team post the series against Australia, where he didn't play a single match. The youngster has played in just 1 ODI till now, against England, where he scored 15 runs. He was also part of the 2025 Champions Trophy team as a reserve player and was about to travel to Dubai.