3 players who were unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the South Africa ODI series ft. Riyan Parag

Following a disastrous Test series against South Africa, India will shift their attention to the ODI format. The Men in Blue will face off against the Proteas in three 50-over matches, with the opening encounter scheduled for Sunday, November 30 in Ranchi.

Due to several absences, the selectors have had to name a rather unconventional squad for the rubber. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested, while Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill miss out due to injuries. Hardik Pandya is reportedly close to a comeback, but hasn't been named.

India squad for the South Africa ODI series: KL Rahul (c), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.

On that note, here are three players who were unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the ODI series against South Africa.

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#3 Axar Patel

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What do the selectors have in mind with respect to the role of the primary spin-bowling all-rounder? In the Australia ODIs, Ravindra Jadeja was dropped and Axar Patel picked in his place. Now, although Axar did exceedingly well Down Under, he has been replaced by Jadeja.

Axar can certainly consider himself unfortunate to have missed out on the ODI squad for a home series. His bowling has looked close to the best it has ever been, while his batting has been useful as well. South Africa don't have many left-handers in the middle order, and playing two left-arm spinners could've been a viable option.

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#2 Riyan Parag

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Without Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya, India needed to pick some fresh faces in the batting department. Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad have got the nod, but Riyan Parag hasn't.

Parag is among the most exciting players in the country right now, given his solid prowess against both pace and spin. The young all-rounder is also a capable bowler, something India have been searching for in white-ball cricket for many years now.

It's arguable that Parag is more well-rounded than Tilak and Gaikwad, although he hasn't had any statement knocks for the A team. The Men in Blue will do well to bring him into the fold soon.

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#1 Varun Chakaravarthy

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One of India's stars in the 2025 Champions Trophy, Varun Chakaravarthy hasn't been named in their two squads since the ICC competition. The ace spinner wasn't expected to tour Australia, but a home series against the Proteas seemed like an assignment he would be perfect for.

Varun may have been picked as a stop-gap solution for the Champions Trophy and might not be in the team's plans for the 2027 World Cup. He certainly won't be happy about that, given the central role he played during the marquee tournament earlier this year.