The Indian team, led by senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, will take on South Africa in a three-match ODI series starting November 30 in Ranchi. Regular captain Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series owing to a neck injury he picked up while batting in the first innings of the Kolkata Test, which kept him out of the second Test in Guwahati. He is likely to return in January against New Zealand. KL Rahul Set for Leadership Return Rahul will be leading India in ODIs after almost two years. With no Shubman Gill and no Shreyas Iyer (out with a spleen injury), the selectors felt that Rahul was the best choice as he is a confirmed starter in the middle order. He has led India in 12 ODIs, with 8 wins and 4 losses; he has an impressive win rate of 67%, making him a very reliable stand-in captain. Rahul was given the ODI captaincy for the very first time against South Africa in 2022. He lost that series 0-3, but since then has won 8 out of his last 9 ODIs as captain, with his only loss coming in South Africa in 2023. He now gets a chance to continue his strong run, this time at home. Also Read | 5 Selection Questions After India Announce ODI Squad vs South Africa KL Rahul ODI Capataincy Record Format Matches as Captain Wins Losses Win% Runs as Captain Avg 50+ Scores ODIs 12 8 4 67% 302 33.55 4 Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Back to Strengthen the Squad One of the major highlights of the series will be the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two star players. The last time they played ODI cricket was in Australia, where Rohit got the Player of the Series award for 202 runs. Kohli had a quiet outing in the first two matches of that series before making an emphatic comeback with an unbeaten 74 in Sydney. India's full squad for this ODI series does look balanced, with experience, youth, and all-round options. India's Squad for SA ODIs Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel India Eye Winning Start Ahead of 2027 World Cup Cycle The series is significant for India as they prepare to gear up for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With Gill ruled out of this action, Rahul’s batting and leadership will be crucial in the middle order. His cool demeanor at the crease helps India stay firm during pressure situations. He will look to guide the team toward a strong home-series victory.