India Vs South Africa 1st ODI PtiImage Credit source: PTI

India vs South Africa 1st ODI: Revenge of one format cannot be taken in another. Especially the embarrassment of losing the Test series at home cannot be taken away by another win. But victory is better than continuous defeat. With this intention, Team India will enter the field of Ranchi, where the first ODI match between India and South Africa will be played on 30 November. This series is not very important in terms of immediate future, but it is a good opportunity to boost the morale of the team, reduce the pressure on coach Gautam Gambhir and for some players to prove themselves.

Without Gil-Iyer, the onus is on Rohit-Virat

In this first match of the ODI series at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Cricket Stadium (JSCA) in Ranchi, the Indian team and coach Gambhir will make a strong start, leaving behind the crushing defeat suffered in the Test series. team india However, it is going without its captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, while key fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have also been rested. In contrast, the South African team is coming out with almost full strength.

Once again in this series, all eyes will be on the batting and overall performance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Are both of them able to play big innings or not? Even if both of them score some runs, will their batting have the same rhythm and edge which made them such great batsmen and which can take their career a little further? In Australia, Rohit had shown that he is still ready by scoring a century and a half-century, while Virat had also raised some hopes by scoring a half-century in the last match after being out on 0 twice in a row.

South Africa's hurdle again in front of Jaiswal

Nevertheless, this series can be important for the hopes of both of them playing in the World Cup 2027. But this series is going to be more special than these two for some other players. The first name in this is young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who after a long time got a chance to make his ODI debut at the beginning of this year and now after about 9 months, he will be seen playing in this format. Jaiswal has established his dominance in Tests but South Africa was a big obstacle for him there. In such a situation, it is not going to be easy for Jaiswal (List A average 52) to make a comeback in ODI against this team.

Important series for Pant-Gaikwad too

This series is also important for Rishabh Pant, who is struggling to cement his place in the limited overs format. However, unlike Jaiswal, it is also important for Pant to make a place in the playing-11 because at present his place here too does not seem confirmed. Will he get a chance to replace Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, this is a big question. Due to staying away from international cricket in 2023, Pant has played only 1 ODI match in the last two years, whereas before that he could score only 817 runs in 31 ODIs.

Apart from these, this series is also important for Rituraj Gaikwad because he is also returning to Team India in this format for the first time after December 2023. Although Gaikwad, who has been in excellent form in recent times, has been selected as the backup opener, he can also be dropped at number four. Gaikwad has played only 6 ODIs so far and has been able to score only 115 runs at an average of 19.

'Bavuma Company' will enter with strong spirits

Talking about South Africa, captain Temba Bavuma will be very excited with the historic 2-0 victory in the Test series. Even though many players of ODI and Test teams are different, some key players including the captain will also feature in this series. In such a situation, the team is going to enter with high spirits. However, he will miss star fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who has troubled Rohit and Virat a lot. But at such a time, left arm pacer Nandre Berger can prove to be important for them.