KL Rahul will be leading Team India in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, beginning in Ranchi on November 30.

This was on expected lines as regular skipper Shubman Gill wasn’t considered for selection. However, all options have been kept open for the T20Is, which begin on December 9.

Gill is in Mumbai at present and has been advised rest by spine specialist Dr Abhay Nene. He is expected to proceed to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru next week.

Also, as expected, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested along with his new-ball partner Mohammed Siraj, with the duo’s workload taken into account. Left-armer Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are the frontline quicks, with Nitish Kumar Reddy as the seamer all-rounder.

The 15-man ODI squad announced on Sunday also features the return of spinner all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who wasn’t there on the tour of Australia. Jadeja’s return for the South Africa ODIs does indicate that the senior pro is still in India’s ODI scheme of things, like former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have been selected.

Jadeja had spoken about the conversations he had with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir when he wasn’t included for the one-dayers in Australia last month. Now that he has been brought back, the onus is on Jadeja to make meaningful contributions with both bat and ball to avoid doubts over his place in the side. After all, his presence in the outfield continues to be an advantage both for him and India.

Along with Jadeja, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and off-spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar are there to complete the spin department. Rishabh Pant, currently leading the team in the ongoing Guwahati Test, is also back in the ODI fold, with Dhruv Jurel as another keeper-batter alongside the former and Rahul.

The squad also marks the comeback of top-order batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who last played an ODI in December 2023 against the Proteas itself in Gqeberha. With six ODI appearances so far, Gaikwad had an impressive showing for India A in the recent home one-dayers against South Africa A, scoring a 117 and unbeaten 68 in the first two matches.

Tilak Varma, who led India A in the one-dayers against South Africa A, has also been selected.