Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the ODI series against South Africa; Rajat Patidar and Mukesh Kumar get their first call-ups.

As the roster for the three-match ODI series against South Africa was revealed, Rajat Patidar and Mukesh Kumar received their first calls to duty. In Rohit Sharma’s absence, Shikhar Dhawan will captain the team; Shreyas Iyer will serve as vice-captain.

The series will travel to Ranchi for the second ODI on October 9 following the opening match on October 6 in Lucknow. The third and final ODI will take place on October 11 in Delhi. The T20I series, which is now underway and in which India is currently leading 1-0, is the opening game of South Africa’s visit to India. On Sunday, the second T20I between the two sides is scheduled.

As the team gets ready for the T20 World Cup, which begins on October 23, some other first-team players, including Rohit, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant among others, will also be missing. In keeping with India’s most recent ODI series against Zimbabwe in August, Shubman Gill has been included in the team and is anticipated, to begin with Shikhar Dhawan. The opening role has also been assigned to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have been chosen as wicketkeepers, while Rahul Tripathi has also been given a position in the middle order. Shreyas Iyer, who last played an ODI against the West Indies in July of this year, is Tripathi’s partner in the middle order.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur will continue to play in the fifty-over format and will join Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, and Deepak Chahar in the pace attack. Chahar is surprisingly one of the backup players for the T20 World Cup.

In the three-match series, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi will be India’s top spinners.

Here’s the India squad for the South Africa series: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubhman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar.