India will be eager to make amends after suffering a 0-2 defeat in the recently concluded home Test series against South Africa. The focus now moves to white-ball cricket, with the ODI series set to begin in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. South Africa outplayed the hosts in the red-ball format, securing their first Test series victory on Indian soil in 25 years.
The Men in Blue will aim for a strong response in the 50-over format. However, they will be without skipper Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, both ruled out due to injuries. In their absence, senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has been handed the captaincy for the series.
South Africa, meanwhile, will be without their frontline pacer Kagiso Rabada, who also missed the Test series due to a rib stress injury. Overall, the two teams have met 94 times in ODIs, with South Africa holding the upper hand by a 51-40 margin. However, on Indian soil, India have registered 18 victories against the Proteas, while the visitors have come out on top 14 times.
Here Are Top 3 Player Battles To Watch In The IND vs SA 2025 ODI Series:
#3 Virat Kohli (IND) vs Marco Jansen (SA)
Star batsman Virat Kohli had a shaky return to international cricket last month, scoring consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs of India’s away series against Australia. He bounced back strongly in the third match with an unbeaten 74 off 81 balls. The 37-year-old has an impressive record against South Africa in ODIs, averaging 65.39 with 1,504 runs in 29 innings.
Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen could provide a stern test for Kohli, having dismissed him four times in 10 innings across formats. Jansen was also in excellent form during the Test series, taking 12 wickets in four innings.
#2 Aiden Markram (SA) vs Ravindra Jadeja (IND)
Aiden Markram will play a key role for South Africa in the upcoming ODI series. However, the right-handed batsman has struggled against India in the 50-over format, scoring 330 runs in 16 innings at a modest average of 23.57. His contest against experienced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja promises to be an intriguing battle for fans.
Jadeja, returning to the ODI squad after being rested for the Australia series, has had considerable success against Markram. The senior all-rounder has dismissed the South African top-order batsman four times in seven international innings.
#1 Rohit Sharma (IND) vs Lungi Ngidi (SA)
Rohit Sharma was one of the few positives for India in their 1-2 ODI series loss in Australia. The opener shone in the third match, scoring an unbeaten 121 off 125 balls. He finished the series with 202 runs from three innings and earned the Player of the Series award. India will look to the flamboyant batsman to provide explosive starts at the top.
For South Africa, right-arm pacer Lungi Ngidi could be their key threat against Sharma early in the innings, having dismissed him twice in three encounters.
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