India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs, KL Rahul, has been appointed as the stand-in captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. Regular skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer are unavailable due to injuries, prompting Rahul to lead the side in their absence.

The squad sees the inclusion of Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had recently toured Australia with the team. Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj miss out this time. Gill is currently in Mumbai for a neck injury assessment, having been ruled out of the ongoing Test series after sustaining an injury during the first innings. Pant had taken charge during the Test in his absence, and Dhruv Jurel retains his spot in the squad despite Pant’s inclusion. Veteran Jadeja returns as India’s first-choice all-rounder, replacing Axar Patel.

The 15-member squad is as follows: KL Rahul (c/wk), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.

With Gill and Iyer unavailable, the selectors opted for Tilak Varma and Gaikwad to bolster the batting lineup alongside veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Yashasvi Jaiswal could get an opportunity to add to his solitary ODI cap. India will have three frontline pacers – Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna – while Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja complete the spin options.

The ODI series will begin on November 30 in Ranchi, with the second and third matches scheduled in Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6. After the ODIs, India and South Africa will also compete in a five-match T20I series.