Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya will also miss this series.
India are hosting South Africa for a three-match ODI series, with the second played in Raipur. This comes after India registered a close win in the opening fixture. However, the vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, is not part of the squad and will miss the IND vs SA ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer picked up an injury during the third ODI against Australia in October when he dived to take a catch off Harshit Rana’s bowling. He suffered a blunt hit to the abdomen, which caused a cut in his spleen and internal bleeding. The 30-year-old had to undergo surgery in Sydney and was discharged only after his condition improved. Since he is still not fully fit, he has not been picked for the IND vs SA ODIs
During the pre-match press conference before the first ODI, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said that Shreyas has already begun his rehab. He added that the team is eager to have him back once he completes his recovery and preparation, and it is good to see that he is healthy and on the right track toward returning.
“Shreyas has also started his rehab, which is great. So, we are looking forward to welcoming them back into the squad. The good thing is that they are healthy and they are starting their preparation on their way back into the team,” Morne Morkel said.
KL Rahul has taken charge of captaincy. Rishabh Pant has been named vice captain for this ODI series in place of Shreyas Iyer, even though he didn’t play the first game. The squad also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma.
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (w), Aiden Markram (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, and Lungi Ngidi.
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Shreyas Iyer is a regular ODI player for India. He has played 11 matches this year and scored 496 runs at an average of 49.60, including five half-centuries. In the series against Australia, he also scored a fifty in the second ODI.
Earlier this year, he played an important role in the Champions Trophy. He was India’s highest run scorer in the tournament and finished as the second-highest scorer overall, with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60, along with two half-centuries.
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