 "IND vs SA ODI Series: Under-fire Gambhir turns to Rohit–Kohli experience with Pant facing uncertain role")
Under-pressure India coach Gautam Gambhir would be forced to lean on veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI series against South Africa, while Rishabh Pant’s return to the 50-over squad may not guarantee him a place in the playing XI. The three-match India vs South Africa ODI series gets underway on Sunday (30 November) at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
Pant, who last played an ODI for India in August 2024 against Sri Lanka, has been picked in the ODI squad for the South Africa series as the BCCI selectors handed him another lifeline in the format. But he is not the only wicketkeeper-batter in the squad. There’s also Rahul and Dhruv Jurel.
Rishabh Pant not guaranteed a spot in India’s ODI playing XI
Interestingly, Pant has been picked into the squad due to his being a left-handed batter. India have a right-handed heavy batting line-up and they want to add a left-hander in the mix. But the big question is whether KL Rahul would continue to keep wickets?
Rahul has been India’s designated keeper in ODIs for a while and coach Gautam Gambhir would not want to change that suddenly. But if Rahul plays as a keeper, can Pant play just as a batter?
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Being the stand-in skipper, Rahul is guaranteed a spot, but India may still include Pant. However, that would come at some cost. They may try Pant at No 4 spot, temporarily vacated by injured Shreyas Iyer, but Tilak Varma is also in contention for that spot.
They can also fit in Pant at No 6 after Rahul, but then Team India would have to drop an all-rounder. Without Pant, India would be in a position where they can play all three all-rounders – Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy.
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View AllBut if Pant is included, one among Washington or Nitish could miss out, while Jadeja is guaranteed to play. Most likely, we would see Pant fighting with Tilak for No 4 spot or with an all-rounder at the No 6 slot.
Washington vs Nitish at Ranchi
Coming to the debate about the all-rounders. The choice between Washington and Nitish could depend on the pitch in Ranchi. Generally, the JSCA stadium has spinning tracks, but early winter and a hint of grass have given Nitish an edge.
Also, if India include just two pacers, then Nitish becomes a valuable third seam bowling option. With Jadeja, India already have a spinner to complement Kuldeep Yadav. However, considering Gambhir’s obsession with all-rounders, we may see India play all three all-rounders, while Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana could be the designated pacers.
Yashasvi Jaiswal set to open with Rohit Sharma
Yashasvi Jaiswal is also most likely set for a comeback to the Indian ODI side as an opener in the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill. While Gill has been forced to miss the series due to a neck injury, Jaiswal faces competition from Ruturaj Gaikwad for the opening slot. Jaiswal made his ODI debut earlier this year against England in Nagpur, but that has been his only ODI so far.
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He was part of the ODI squad in Australia, and as a left-hander, there’s a high possibility of Jaiswal opening the innings for India alongside right-handed Rohit Sharma.
Rohit will return to action after over a month. He made 121 not out in his previous ODI in Sydney against Australia. Virat Kohli, who made 74 not out at SCG after two consecutive ducks in Australia, would also be back for Team India.
Under-pressure Gambhir to rely on Rohit, Kohli
After retiring from Tests and T20Is, ODIs are the only format where the fans can witness Ro-Ko playing for India.
The ODI series would be a massive Test for coach Gambhir, who is already fighting a lot of criticism since the 2-0 Test series defeat to South Africa. The absence of top players like Gill and Shreyas Iyer has only made his job tougher. He also has to try to fit in players like Pant, Gaikwad or Jaiswal who have not played ODIs in recent times.
There’s no doubt he would be relying heavily on the experienced Rohit and Kohli to steer the team to an ODI series win amid the key players missing.
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