IND vs SA: Netizens express excitement as KL Rahul leads India's ODI squad against Proteas

On December 31, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Team India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma announced the ODI squad in a press conference. The biggest news though is that KL Rahul will be captaining the squad in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been announced as the vice-captain of the team.

KL Rahul has experience captaining the Punjab Kings IPL side, so netizens are happy to see him being announced as the captain of Team India’s ODI squad for the SA tour. Mostly, everyone is excited to see him in action as the team's leader. Everyone wished him luck and hoped that India wins the series against the Proteas.

However, there were some fans who were not impressed by the news of Rohit Sharma missing out on his first series as India's white-ball skipper. Most of them pointed out that it is not a good look for India to have a captain out injured like this. Rohit was named captain after the BCCI decided to remove Virat Kohli as ODI captain earlier in November. "Rohit is not fit, he is in rehab. We never wanted to take chance with him," BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said. "We are looking to groom KL Rahul. He has proved his leadership qualities. KL is the best one who can handle the side."

India vs South Africa: India ODI Squad

KL Rahul (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav. Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Y Chahal, R Ashwin, W Sundar, J Bumrah (VC), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and Mohd. Siraj.

The India vs South Africa ODI series will commence live on January 19, 2022, with the first game scheduled to take place at Boland Park, Paarl. India's ODI squad will feature nine batters, including two wicket-keepers in Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan. With Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja currently not fit, the team will only feature Washington Sundar as the all-rounder. Meanwhile, in the bowling department, India will feature two spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal is included in the squad, while R Ashwin will return to the ODI team after the 2017 Champions Trophy. The team will also feature six pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami will be rested for the upcoming ODI series.

Image: BCCI