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Gaikwad rewarded, Samson ignored for Pant: Major takeaways from India's squad for SA ODIs

Abhinav Tyagi

India squad takeaway - (Source: AFP)India squad takeaway - (Source: AFP)

The Men in Blue are all set to take on South Africa for a three-match ODI series starting from November 30. In the latest events, the BCCI has released the 15-member squad for the upcoming series.

India's squad for South Africa 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

This article will provide the major takeaways from the squad.

Gaikwad rewarded for India A heroics

The squad has marked the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has played just a solitary ODI for the Men in Blue. However, the CSK captain recently featured for India A vs South Africa A, where the 28-year-old has scored 210 runs in three innings, averaging a whopping 105.00.

Notably, the CSK star slammed a century in the first ODI and followed it up with a fifty in the 2nd ODI. The selectors have rewarded Gaikwad for his performance and picked him up for the ODI series vs SA.

However, Gaikwad faces a tough challenge from Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is the second opening option to partner Rohit Sharma in the absence of Shubman Gill.

Pant returns, Tilak Varma added, to fight for the No. 4 position

Another major takeaway from the squad is that Rishabh Pant, who has not been a part of the Indian team since ODIs vs Sri Lanka in August 2024. His inclusion has sparked a debate and hinted that the left-handed batter is still in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Also, Pant's inclusion has come at the expense of Sanju Samson's exclusion, who is not a part of the squad despite an average of 56 in the fifty-over format.

Meanwhile, in Shreyas Iyer's absence, the selectors have called up Tilak Varma, and now Pant and Varma will both fit for the No. 4 spot. 

Ravindra Jadeja is still in the race for the 2027 ODI World Cup 

Ravindra Jadeja, for the first time, will play in ODIs under Gautam Gambhir's tenure as India coach. Gambhir has often left Jadeja out of the squad and tried out Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. 

However, Jadeja's return has given hope to the left-arm all-rounder that he is still in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Dhruv Jurel to play just as a pure batter

Notably, in the official press release by the BCCI, they have not placed a 'WK' tag in front of Jurel, which means that he is all set to play just as a pure batter in the Indian team.

Bumrah and Siraj rested

For the upcoming ODIs, the BCCI has again decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah to manage his workload. Further, his partner-in-crime, Mohammed Siraj, too, has been rested. 

India's takeaways in nutshell

Openers: Rohit Sharma, Jaiswal, Gaikwad
Middle-order: Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Virat Kohli
All-rounder: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy
Pacers: Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav
Noticeable inclusions: Gaikwad, Jadeja, Pant
Noticeable absentees: Samson
Rested: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel