ODI team for the SA Tour 2022 has been announced. In the absence of Captain Rohit Sharma due to injury, KL Rahul has been named Captain of the Indian ODI Cricket Team. The ODI team for SA Tour includes a bunch of fresh players in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Washington Sundar, and Mohammad Siraj. Ravichandran Ashwin has made a comeback to the ODI Team for SA Tour after last playing an ODI in 2017. Here is an in-depth look:
India’s ODI Team for SA Tour:
KL Rahul (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj
Absence of Captain Rohit Sharma:
The absence of first-choice Indian Captain Rohit Sharma is due to a left hamstring injury which the player suffered during a practice session in Mumbai. Hence Rohit has missed out on the ODI Team for SA Tour. “Rohit is still not fully fit; he is in rehab. We never wanted to take a chance with him if he is not 100% fit,” Chetan Sharma, the chief of selectors, said in a press conference.
On the appointment of KL Rahul as captain, Chetan Sharma said this, “We are looking at KL Rahul as a three-format player, and he has got good experience of captaincy. He has proved his leadership qualities. That is what all selectors think. When Rohit is not fit, we thought KL is the best one to handle the side. We have good confidence in him, and we are grooming him.”
New Players in the ODI Team for SA Tour:
The fresher faces that have joined the team include Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer. Ruturaj had an exceptional Vijay Hazare Trophy with the bat for Maharashtra. And Venkatesh Iyer was the top performer for Madhya Pradesh with the bat as well as the ball. The absence of Hardik Pandya due to rehabilitation programs at the NCA justifies his selection.
Shikhar Dhawan, the senior Indian opening batsman has received backing from the selectors even after having a mediocre Vijay Hazare Trophy scoring at an average of 10.2 per game. But his last international performances against Sri Lanka and England have earned him his well-deserved spot.
Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are carrying injuries and will not be available for selection, was said Sharma.
Other Players Considered for Selection:
The other players that were considered for selection were Shahrukh Khan, the finisher from Tamil Nadu, Ravi Bishnoi, the leg-spin maestro. Also, Rishi Dhawan, the veteran who led HP to victory at Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Avesh Khan, the smart bowler piling the good performances and trying to break the door to the national team. However, due to the time at which the tour is taking place, and with the upcoming schedule, the 4 were not selected.