India will take on South Africa in their first One Day International (ODI) in the six-match ODI series to be played at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban. The rejuvenated Indian side will be looking to make the most of AB de Villiers absence, the dynamic batsman is nursing a finger injury. Virat Kohli would be looking to seize the opportunity and ensure that his side begins on a winning note. The South African team is presently the number one side in the ICC ODI team rankings and will look to strengthen its position on the top.

The pitch at Durban is on a slower side in comparison to all other venues in the country. It will help the Indian side as it will not have much pace in it. There is a forecast for rain in the early noon but is likely to stop later on. India (IND) vs South Africa (SA) ODI series has come as a perfect opportunity for a bunch of players who will get a chance to showcase their talent before the show of shows – ICC World Cup 2019 – to be held in England, which will be played in similar conditions.

We take a look at a list of players who we need to watch out in the First ODI between Men In Blue and Proteas today.

1. Rohit Sharma

The Rohit ‘Hitman’ Sharma is a completely different player in the blue jersey. Once in his zone, Rohit is capable to take away the game from the opposition in no time. His three triple-hundreds are a commandment to it. Dropped after dismal performances in the first two Tests, the opener will be looking to silence his critics with a fine knock at the top.

Rohit 'Hitman' Sharma | Team India Batsman (Photo Credits: PTI)

India has often struggled in foreign conditions when the openers have failed to provide a stable start; the onus will be on Rohit Sharma to not to throw his wicket away like it is seen often.

2. Virat Kohli

India will need the acumen of a Captain and the aggressiveness of the fine batsman that he is, from Virat Kohli to be a step ahead of the Proteas. After being India’s most successful batsman in the Test series, Kohli would be looking to carry forward his form in this format of the game.

Virat Kohli | Indian Team Captain (Photo Credits: PTI)

The Indian batting line-up depends heavily on Virat Kohli’s performance, and his form will be crucial for an Indian win the first ODI. The King of chasing ODI scores, team India will be banking heavily on their star-batsman.

3. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya stunned everybody with his knock in the first Test at Newlands, Cape Town. The dashing all-rounder showed no difficulties while adapting to the fast & bouncy conditions in South Africa. Pandya has been more dangerous in the ODI format and it will be interesting to see what approach does he adopts today.

Hardik Pandya | Indian All-Rounder (Photo Credits: PTI)

India for long have looked for a fast-bowling all-rounder, after Irfan Pathan 1.0, and it Pandya seems to be fulfilling that role majestically. Known for his explosive batting and partnership-breaking bowling capabilities, India will need Hardik Pandya to fire today.

4. Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock has struggled to find form recently as he was able to score 71 runs only in the recently concluded Test series. The South African camp would want him to wreak havoc at the top and help his side with stability in the absence of De Villiers.

Quinton de Kock | Team South Africa Wicket-Keeper (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

However, it should not be forgotten that the wicket-keeping batsman has always had an upper hand against the Indian side. Out of his 13 ODI hundreds, Quinton de Kock has hit five hundreds against India. During India’s last tour in South Africa, the visiting side had no answer for his batting prowess, as he had hit three consecutive hundreds in that three-match ODI series.

5. Imran Tahir

Indians have always struggled against quick pace bowlers on their previous tours. However, in absence of other senior bowlers, spinner Imran Tahir will be the one posing questions to the visiting side.

Imran Tahir | Team South Africa Spinner (Photo Credits: PTI)

Currently the best spinner in the ICC ODI Bowler rankings, Tahir will be the sole spinner in the South African line-up. It will be interesting to see what strategy does Team India applies to thwart off Tahir’s threat.

The last time both the sides locked horns in a bilateral series was in 2015. The Proteas had then won the evenly-matched series by 3-2. After the competitive completion of the first-leg of India’s tour to South Africa, both the captains Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis will be itching to begin on a winning note in the six-match ODI series. Do let us know your pick of the players in today’s match in the comments section below. Stay tuned for many such updates of India vs South Africa ODI Series 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2018 01:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).