Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has picked the hosts’ enjoying XI for the opening ODI in opposition to South Africa, with the evident omission of Rishabh Pant. As a substitute, Patel opted for Tilak Varma to bat at No. 4 within the series-opener on the JSCA Worldwide Stadium Complicated in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.
Pant has returned to the ODI setup after a very long time, having final performed within the format in July 2024. Though the left-hander has been prolific in Take a look at cricket, he hasn’t been in a position to nail down a spot within the limited-over setup. In 31 ODIs since his debut in 2018, Pant averages a modest 33.50, with a solitary ton that got here in opposition to England in Manchester in 2022. Pant can also be unlikely to maintain wickets, provided that KL Rahul, who’s the stand-in captain for the collection, has been performing the function for the final two and a half years.
In the meantime, Tilak, who has solidified his spot in T20Is, has featured in 4 ODIs after his maiden look within the format in 2023. His solitary half-century got here in opposition to South Africa in Paarl two years in the past, because the Males in Blue clinched the three-game ODI collection. The 22-year-old has sturdy Checklist A numbers, mustering 1724 runs in 44 video games at 45.36 with 5 tons.
Talking to Star Sports activities, Parthiv picked Tilak to bat at No. 4 and went with three spinners and three quick bowlers. The 40-year-old reckoned the hosts might go both for Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddy, relying upon the situations.
Parthiv Patel’s Staff India XI for first ODI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.
Rishabh Pant had a forgettable Take a look at collection in opposition to South Africa
The rationale behind omitting the teenager is also about being low in confidence as a consequence of his forgettable time within the latest Take a look at collection in opposition to South Africa. The southpaw had scores of 27, 2, 7, and 13.
With the 28-year-old main India within the second Take a look at in Guwahati, his captaincy choices additionally got here beneath the scanner as India suffered their heaviest defeat by way of runs (408). The hosts shall be searching for redemption within the ODI collection.
Edited by Parag Jain
