Kohli, Rohit in, No Jaiswal; Gaikwad, Pant back: India's strongest XI for 1st ODI vs South Africa

Rohit, Kohli will be back; Gaikwad might be picked over Jaiswal [Source: AFP]

On Sunday, India will lock horns with South Africa in the first ODI of the upcoming three-match series on home soil. The hosts had a terrible time recently in the Test series, as the Proteas outclassed them across all departments, securing a historic whitewash. 

However, it will be a different challenge altogether for both teams in the ODI format. While South Africa have a star-studded side, India will miss their regular skipper Shubman Gill, who has been sidelined from the series due to a neck injury. 

As the Men in Blue prepare for the series opener, let's analyse and find out their most potent playing combination for this game. 

Rohit Sharma to open; Jaiswal or Gaikwad, who will replace Shubman Gill?

Veteran batter and former captain Rohit Sharma enjoyed stellar success in the Australia ODIs, amassing 202 runs, including a century at an average of 101 and a strike rate of 85.59. He will open the batting for India; however, there will be a toss-up between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the second opener's slot. 

Factors that might prompt India to select Gaikwad over Jaiswal

Although Yashasvi Jaiswal is India's designated back-up opener, two major factors might help Ruturaj Gaikwad pip him in the race for Rohit Sharma's partner.   

• Gill's like-for-like replacement: Shubman Gill is a right-handed batter. So, as he misses out on selection, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is also a right-hander, is more likely to come in as his replacement. 
• Experience and recent form: Ruturaj Gaikwad is more experienced than Jaiswal in white-ball cricket. Both these batters have experience of seven ODIs; however, Gaikwad has played 89 List-A games as compared to only 33 by Jaiswal. Additionally, the Maharashtra batter has showcased remarkable form in recent times. He hammered 210 runs in three outings at an average of 105 and a strike rate of 86.42 for India-A in the recently held One-Day series against South Africa-A.  

Thus, while Jaiswal has become Marco Jansen's bunny, Gaikwad, who is more experienced, might get the first preference as Gill's replacement. 

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Virat Kohli at 3, who will bat in Iyer's position?

Legendary batter Virat Kohli made a remarkable comeback after two successive ducks on the Australia tour. He will bat at his preferred number three slot; however, India can pick only one between Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma to bat at four in Shreyas Iyer's absence. 

Tilak was given three consecutive matches in the T20I series to prove his mettle. However, he managed only 34 runs across three innings and struck at an abysmal rate of 55.63 in the subsequent series between India-A and South Africa-A. So, considering Rishabh Pant's aggressive game and experience, India will likely prefer him over Tilak for the middle-order batter's role. 

KL Rahul to spearhead India's all-rounder heavy lineup

India have snubbed Axar Patel from the ODI squad, which means stand-in captain KL Rahul will likely be back at his preferred number five slot, where he has performed magnificently over the years. 

(KL Rahul's ODI record at number 5)

KL Rahul can not only arrest collapses but also ensure fitting finishes for the Indian team in the slog overs. He will likely be assisted by the destructive Nitish Reddy, who is India's first-choice pace-bowling allrounder in Hardik Pandya's absence. 

Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, two vital members of India's Test setup, will likely play as the spin-bowling allrounders. Besides scalping wickets at crucial junctures, both can chip in with impactful cameos lower down the order. It's important to note that with Axar Patel sidelined, India might promote Sundar when needed, using Jadeja primarily as a bowling allrounder. 

Harshit, Arshdeep, Kuldeep to lead India's bowling attack

(Harshit Rana in Australia ODIs)

As evidenced by the above stats, Harshit Rana was fantastic with the ball in the ODI series against Australia. He further went on to bag seven wickets against South Africa-A at a superb economy of 4.68. So, considering his recent form and batting abilities, India will likely pick Harshit over Prasidh Krishna as their third seamer. 

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav will likely fill the remaining two slots and strengthen India's bowling unit. Arshdeep's new-ball swing makes him a potent threat to the Proteas' top-order, while Kuldeep has all the ingredients to bamboozle the opponents with his wily wrist spin. 

India's strongest XI for 1st ODI vs South Africa

Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh

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