Who Will Be India Wicket-Keeper in IND vs SA ODI Series?

After a humiliating result in the two-match Test series, the Indian Cricket Team is all set to lock horns with the South African Cricket Team in the three-match ODI series. The first match is scheduled to begin on 30 November in Ranchi, followed by the last two games on December 3 and 6 in Raipur and Vishakhapatnam.

The Indian team will be captained by KL Rahul, as ahead of the series, they were jolted by two massive blows. Captain Shubman Gill suffered a neck injury during the IND vs SA ODI series, and Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to the rib injury he suffered in the Australia series.

The Indian Cricket Team will be keen to win the series and give their fans something to cheer about, especially after the whitewash they faced in the tests. Captain KL Rahul and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be keen to play the best XI, and for that, they need to take some tough calls.

Who will be India Wicket-Keeper in the IND vs SA ODI Series?

In the absence of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, there are two vacant spots in the XI. For the opening slot, it is almost certain that Yashasvi Jaiswal will be there with Rohit Sharma, and the top question remains who will bat at number four. India has options in Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma, and with Pant being experienced, he is likely to get the nod ahead. This means that one of the best wicket keeper in India is expected to take the number four slot in Iyer’s absence, and it will be a great opportunity for him to seal his place in the ODI XI.

With both KL Rahul Wicket-Keeper, and Rishabh Pant Wicket-Keeper, in the XI, it is expected that the left-hander will take over the keeping duties. Although Rahul is the designated first-choice keeper in the ODIs, with Pant being a specialist keeper, he is likely to get the nod ahead. There have been times in the past when both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have played an ODI together, and in that, it has been Pant who has taken the role of India Wicket-Keeper. Going by all these factors, it's safe to say that Pant will be keeping duties.

However, if Pant is not considered in the XI, then it will be KL Rahul who takes the role. He has been doing the job in ODIs for the last few years and has been batting in the middle order. In either of the cases, he will be a key player for his team. The Indian XI in ODIs speaks for itself with some of the best ODI batsman in the world. There are fixed positions for players, and they are expected to go with the combination of two all-rounders, two pacers, and one specialist spinner.