After a spirited fight-back in the Third Test against South Africa, India will look forward to continuing their winning ways in the six-match One Day International Series in South Africa. The new-look young Indian brigade will add the much-needed impetus in the team after the tiring-leg of Test Series against the Proteas. A lot of young players will join the squad, which will be an energy boost for the Indian team.

After a 2-1 loss to South Africa in the Test series, the re-jigged Indian side would want to put the loss behind them. The spinning duo, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, will be eager to continue tormenting the opposition, from where they left last year. New additions to the squad – Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur – would like to prove their mettle in the middle and cement their place in the side.

Rohit Sharma is a different player altogether in this format of the game. The only player to score three triple-hundreds in ODIs will be itching to score big after dismal performances in the first two Tests.

Also returning to the side will be the calm and coolness of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose prior experience in these conditions might help India conquer the South African side. The last time Dhoni visited South Africa, he captained the Indian team that lost 2-0 in the three-match ODI series in 2013-14.

Virat Kohli, the aggressive captain, who has come under a lot of scrutiny for his surprise selections, will be looking to prove that the Indian team is not a champion side in home conditions. A lot of India’s batting prowess depends on Kohli’s batting form.

India’s likely XI:

1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Ajinkya Rahane, 5. Shreyas Iyer / Manish Pandey, 6. MS Dhoni, 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Kuldeep Yadav, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Mohammed Shami.

On the bench: Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shardul Thakur.

South Africa’s likely XI:

The six-match-long ODI series comes at the right time as it will help both the sides prepare for their upcoming World Cup 2019 campaign. For India, it will be their chance at redemption after the Test Series loss.

1. Aiden Markram, 2. Quinton de Kock, 3. Hashim Amla, 4. Jean-Paul Duminy, 5. Faf du Plessis (c), 6. David Miller, 7. Chris Morris, 8. Imran Tahir, 9. Morne Morkel, 10. Lungisani Ngidi, 11. Kagiso Rabada.

On the bench: Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khaya Zondo, and AB De Villiers

It comes as a relief for the Indian fans that the swashbuckling batsman, AB De Villiers, has been injured and ruled out for the series opener. The former South African Captain is nursing a finger injury and will not be able to play in the three ODIs.

India will play against South Africa in their first ODI of the six-match ODI series on February 1. The match will be host at the popular Kingsmead Stadium at Durban. The live telecast of the match will be on Sony Ten 1 & Sony Ten 3, and its online streaming will be on Sony LIV. Stay tuned for many such updates about India vs South Africa ODI series.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2018 03:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).