India’s selectors face a complicated ODI squad call for the South Africa tour as injuries to Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer disrupt plans and deepen uncertainty over key roles.
India’s ODI captain Gill is at the forefront of these concerns. The opener suffered a neck injury on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata and remains doubtful for the second Test beginning November 22 in Guwahati.
Should the injury prove serious, the management is expected to rest him for the ODIs starting November 30.
The situation is similar for Pandya, who is recovering from a quadriceps injury and is not expected to feature in the ODI series.
With next year's T20 World Cup taking priority, the all-rounder is set to focus on T20Is for now.
Hardik picked up the quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup T20 in Dubai last September which ruled him out of the final against Pakistan.
According to a BCCI source speaking to PTI on conditions of anonymity, Hardik is in the centre of excellence undergoing his Return To Play (RTP) routines and a comeback to 50 over cricket is considered risky at this stage.
The plan is for him to regain match fitness by turning out for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before joining the T20I squads for the South Africa and New Zealand series.
Workload management will also influence selection decisions for the pace attack.
Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested from the three match ODI series which is viewed as having little relevance in the build up to the T20 World Cup.
If Gill does not recover in time, the selectors could turn to Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order. The left hander has earned praise for his consistency and stroke making but has featured in only one ODI so far due to Gill and Rohit Sharma being the preferred opening pair.
Gill's absence would give the panel an opportunity to evaluate Jaiswal as a long term option, with Rohit in the later stages of his career.
The selectors are also likely to be without Shreyas Iyer who serves as India's vice captain in the ODI format. Iyer suffered a significant injury during the third ODI against Australia in late October and remains in recovery.
His unavailability opens the door for Tilak Varma to find a place in the middle order. The young left hander has already demonstrated composure under pressure, including a match winning unbeaten 69 at number four in the final of the T20 Asia Cup against Pakistan earlier this year.
Tilak has played only four ODIs so far in various middle order positions.
India also have three ODIs scheduled against New Zealand, but the 50 over format holds limited significance at present with the T20 World Cup dominating planning. After the next IPL, the focus of senior players will shift to the build up for the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle.