IND vs SA: Team India gears up for ODI series-opener in Lucknow

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian ODI squad is all set to host the South African side for a three-match ODI series which begins on October 6, Thursday, with the first game scheduled at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. With Dhawan being the skipper of the second-string Indian side, Shreyas Iyer will be his deputy.

The Indian squad is a mix of players who are a part of the T20 World Cup as reserves, and those who haven’t received a call-up for the marquee event. The Men in Blue have a challenge ahead of them as they’ll be up against one of the finest limited-overs teams in the world.

The reserve players Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar will get some game time ahead of the World Cup, and the fresh young talent would be put to test to prove their game.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of the team preparing in the nets ahead of the first ODI encounter in Lucknow. Youngsters Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan can be seen training in full form as the contingent gears up for the big clash.

Preps ✅#TeamIndia ready for the #INDvSA ODI series. 👍 👍 pic.twitter.com/5fY3m1a8lq

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 6, 2022

 South Africa ODI series a test for both new and senior players 

On the other hand, the Indian T20 squad that is scheduled to play in the T20 World Cup 2022 this month departed for Australia early on Thursday, October 6. As the second-string squad gears up for the ODIs against the Proteas, the Rohit Sharma-led World Cup squad will begin their preparations by playing warm-up games, one each against Australia and New Zealand.

Since Jasprit Bumrah has already been ruled out of the T20 World Cup owing to his back injury, the upcoming ODI series may prove to be a hunt for his replacement, with the competition being between Deepak Chahar, who is on the standby list, and Mohammed Siraj, who may be added if Mohammed Shami is unable to regain fitness before October 15.