For the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, Rahul Dravid won’t lead Team India. Sitanshu Kotak and NCA staff will manage the team, with Dravid focusing on the three-day match in Pretoria before the Test series.
The upcoming three-day match in Pretoria, part of the India A vs. South Africa A series, will be the second unofficial Test. It may include members from the Test squad to help them adapt to the conditions and the format.
The ODI series is set to start on Sunday, December 17, with KL Rahul captaining the Indian team due to the absence of some senior members. In their previous tour of South Africa in 2022, the Men in Blue, led by Rahul, were whitewashed 3-0.
Kotak served as the batting coach under VVS Laxman’s coaching staff. Sairaj Bahutule also contributed as the bowling coach during times when Dravid was either unavailable or present with the first team on a different assignment.
Cricbuzz reports that Kotak will receive support from Ajay Ratra as the batting coach and Rajib Dutta as the bowling coach for the three-match ODI series.
Dravid’s choice to forego the ODI series and concentrate on the unofficial Test underscores the significance placed on the impending Test series, commencing on December 26. Team India has yet to secure a Test series victory in South Africa, but they have approached success in their recent two tries.
The Test series against South Africa represents the Indian cricket team’s second away series in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
After a successful opening series against the West Indies, India is set to engage in three consecutive home series in 2024, starting with a five-match contest against England.
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Some ODI squad members also feature in the Test squad, but there’s a separate set exclusively chosen for red-ball matches, including captain Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, and Harshit Rana, part of the latter group, have reportedly departed for South Africa and are expected to arrive on Friday night.
Mohammed Shami, currently grappling with an injury, is not among the players heading to South Africa, making him unavailable for the Test series.
However, Team India possesses alternatives within their squad, such as Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and potentially Shardul Thakur, to reinforce the pace unit.
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