Rohit Sharma will be take up the mantle of captaincy again and lead Team India in the three-match T20I series in the upcoming tour of South Africa. In the ODIs, KL Rahul will be leading the team out.
Rohit Sharma will sit out the ODI matches after his heroics to take the team to the final of the ICC World Cup 2023, albeit falling short at the final hurdle. However, he will also be leading the Test side in the tour.
Hardik Pandya remains unavailable due to injury meaning the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, decided on Rohit captaining the T20 side for the upcoming series.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli had earlier told the BCCI of his intentions to take a break. India is set to play three T20 internationals and three ODIs, followed by two Test matches during the tour of South Africa.
Sanju Samson has been picked for the ODI team, while Rajat Patidar, who recently recovered from an injury, was also drafted. Suryakumar Yadav has been rested from the ODI side.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer will be back in the Test set-up as Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara miss out. The selection committee felt that since Iyer’s injury gave Rahane a chance to make his way back into the team, Iyer should be allowed to make a comeback.
Furthermore, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin also made their way into the Test side, while Kuldeep Yadav got the nod for the T20 team.
T20Is
1st T20I – December 10, 2023 at 9:30 PM IST in Kingsmead, Durban.
2nd T20I – December 12, 2023 at 9:30 PM IST in St George’s Park, Gqeberha.
3rd T20I – December 14, 2023 at 9:30 PM IST in New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
ODIs
1st ODI – December 17, 2023 at 1:30 PM IST in New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
2nd ODI – December 19, 2023 at 4:30 PM IST in St George’s Park, Gqeberha.
3rd ODI – December 21, 2023 at 4:30 PM IST in Boland Park, Paarl.
Tests
1st Test – December 26-30, 2023 at 1:30 PM IST in SuperSport Park, Centurion.
2nd Test – January 3-7, 2024 at 2:00 PM IST in Newlands, Cape Town.
