After facing a humiliating 2-0 defeat in Test series against New Zealand, India will look to redeem themselves in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting from March 12. The Virat Kohli-led side will certainly look to revamp themselves after the horrific New Zealand Tour and with the return of many stars, one could see many changes in the Indian squad. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya have finally recovered from their respective injuries and are likely to get back in national colours. On the other hand, players like Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur could well face the axe. India vs South Africa ODI Series 2020 Schedule in IST, Free PDF Download.

Dhawan might be all set to take the field again. However, his partner-in-crime Rohit Sharma has still not regained full-fitness after sustaining a calf injury and is set to miss the series against Proteas. In India’s last ODI assignment against New Zealand, Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal opened the innings. Unfortunately, both were not able to leave a significant mark. Nevertheless, the former got some good starts and he might retain his spot while Agarwal is likely to get dropped.

BCCI might be tempted to give skipper Virat Kohli a rest from the series. However, with Rohit Sharma not participating in the series, the number-one ranked ODI batsman will continue to lead the side. Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey have performed brilliantly in recent times and hence, will retain their position.

KL Rahul will continue to don the gloves and bat at the number-five spot while Rishabh Pant will be a reserve wicket-keeper. In the all-rounders’ department, Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja have proved their utility and will be seen in action in the forthcoming series. Also, Hardik Pandya is set to return from on the field and will replace Shivam Dube who hasn’t impressed a lot at the highest level.

Coming to the bowlers, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will continue being with the Indian team. Amongst the pacers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could well make a comeback and will partner Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah while, Shardul Thakur, who recently faced a lot of criticism due to his mediocre bowling performance could face the axe. Check out the full squad below.

India’s Predicted Squad for ODI Series Against South Africa: Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli (c), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Kedar Jadhav

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2020 01:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).