Rahul to captain India in Gill's absence, Pant returns in South Africa ODI series

The wicketkeeper-batter will lead the team as Gill remains sidelined with a neck injury

Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will lead the Indian cricket team in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series starting next Sunday, as regular captain Shubman Gill remains sidelined with a neck injury.

Gill suffered the injury while batting in the first test earlier this month in Kolkata, and was ruled out of the ongoing second test, with Rishabh Pant taking over as captain in his absence.

Pant, a wicketkeeper-batter like Rahul, was also named in the 50-over squad by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Sunday, and will hope to play his first match in the format since August 2024.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has returned to the squad as well, after scoring a hundred and a half-century while playing for India A earlier this month. The 28-year-old has not played an ODI since December 2023.

India will play three ODIs against South Africa between Nov 30 and Dec 6 before the two teams face off in five Twenty20 matches.

India squad: KL Rahul (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel