South Africa vs India, 1st ODI: Match Preview, Playing XI and broadcast details

The ICC may have introduced a dedicated league to contextualise 50-over cricket, but there is no one to be blamed for an eerie feeling encapsulating India-South Africa’s upcoming three-match rubber. In the pandemic era – dominated by T20I and Test cricket thanks to back-to-back World Cups and World Test Championship – not only for India or South Africa but ODI cricket remains on the sidelines for the majority of the teams. So, welcome back to a dying format. 

Exaggeration aside, India played only six ODIs in 2021, three of which were with a second-string (or maybe third) squad in the Sri Lankan shores with the first-choice players all on duty in the United Kingdom for the World Test Championship final and England Tests. The other three were against England earlier in the year, with the team winning both series by an identical 2-1 scoreline.

South Africa did not have too much One-Day activity either, and albeit they played two more fixtures than India across 2021, their form in the format inspires little confidence: they have only three wins to show in their last eight concluded games. The Proteas were handed a 1-2 drubbing at home against Pakistan, followed by the 1-1 draw against Ireland (with one match cancelled) away before conceding another away series against Sri Lanka 1-2. 

Despite such a dull ODI backdrop, they will enter the series chuffed after having recently extended India’s agonising wait to record their maiden Test series victory in their land. Unlike ever before, visitors India were labelled the favourites in 2021, and the narrative only solidified after the Centurion fortress breach, but for consecutive losses to squander that advantage.

Stretching the memories further back, India smashed Proteas 5-1 in 2018 under Virat Kohli, who no longer has any captaincy hat with him, having given up T20Is and Tests voluntarily in a space of mere months and ODIs snatched in between. But his replacement Rohit Sharma is a man whose services India continue to miss due to a hamstring strain he picked in the lead-up to the series. 

In his absence, KL Rahul and deputy Jasprit Bumrah will lead a team that marks the return of some familiar faces alongside new inclusions – Ravichandran Ashwin is set to make his ODI comeback after 2017, while Venkatesh Iyer is in line for a debut. Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal were both a part of the 2021 Sri Lanka ODIs, with the former skippering, but the duo returns to international action after a break of sorts themselves, having missed making it into India’s T20 World Cup squad.

Returnees are in plenty for South Africa too, who named a second-string squad for the Netherlands ODIs, which ended soggily after a washed-out series-opener and the remaining two contests cancelled in the wake of the Omicron variant wreaking havoc. While regular white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock and all come back after being rested back then, Nortje remains missing from the current side due to a hip injury, while Rabada has been released at the last moment “due to high workload”. 

Meanwhile, retaining his position from the Netherlands series is Kolpak-returnee Wayne Parnell, whereas Bavuma, who comes back to white-ball captaincy, will be keen to emulate the performances from the Test series, as would young sensation Marco Jansen, who is in line to wear his maiden ODI cap. 

The series, meanwhile, will be played as a standalone event and not count towards ICC ODI Super League.

Pitch and conditions

Boland Park in Paarl, the venue for the first two ODIs, is known to be batter-friendly, however, given the scorching heat at this time of the year, it might remain on the slower side. In 12 ODIs at the venue hitherto, seven times a total has been defended, with an average score of 261. The forecast is clear, with the temperature expected to breach 40 degrees Celsius mark.

Playing combination for SA vs IND

South Africa

With Bavuma returning, Maharaj will go back to his role as a deputy. With a sluggish surface in the offing, South Africa will most likely slot in another spinner in Tabraiz Shamsi alongside Maharaj. Quinton de Kock, who announced a shocker of a Test retirement recently, has come back from his paternity leave to join the side.

Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo/Dwaine Pretorious, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

India

Stand-in skipper KL Rahul has confirmed he will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan. India might as well be inclined to play two spin options in R Ashwin and Chahal alongside pacers Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah and either one pace-all-rounder in Venkatesh or Shardul Thakur.

Predicted XI: KL Rahul (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer/Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

South Africa vs India Head-to-Head

Matches- 84, South Africa – 46, India – 35

 South Africa vs India Broadcast Details

Match Timings – 2:00 PM IST

TV – Star Sports Network

Live Streaming – Disney+Hotstar