A BCCI official revealed that KL Rahul was chosen as ODI captain because Rishabh Pant has played only one ODI in the past year and wasn’t considered ready for the role.
India announced a 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, with KL Rahul appointed the ODI captain in the absence of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, both recovering from injuries.
Many expected Rishabh Pant to take charge. However, a BCCI source revealed that selectors opted for Rahul due to his regular involvement in the format and consistent place in the XI. Pant has featured in only one ODI in the past year, which influenced the decision to leave him out of the captaincy consideration.
“Rahul’s captaincy is one off and should be seen in isolation. Rishabh (Pant) wasn’t considered as he has played only one ODI game in the last one year. The selectors expect that Shubman Gill’s neck injury will heal and he will be back against New Zealand (3 ODIs in January 2026),” the BCCI official was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.
ODI Fixtures Set for Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam
Notably, Since 2023, KL Rahul has scored 1332 runs in 35 innings, striking two hundreds and seven fifties. He also contributed strongly during the Champions Trophy, closing out key matches in India’s title-winning run, while Rishabh Pant did not feature in that tournament.
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Pant’s ODI involvement has been minimal, with 12 games in 2022, none in 2023, and only one appearance this year. However, he now returns as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the three-match series beginning November 30, with Rahul playing purely as a batter.
The ODIs will be played in Ranchi on November 30, Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6.
India ODI Squad Against South Africa
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhruv Jurel
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