3 things to look forward to in the 1st India vs South Africa ODI ft. KL Rahul's captaincy

India are all set to lock horns with South Africa in the first ODI at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. The hosts are on the back of a 2-0 Test series loss to the Proteas.

The Men in Blue will be without many of their first-choice players for this rubber. KL Rahul will lead the side, which won't feature Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya. Nevertheless, an exciting clash between two world-class sides is on the cards.

India's 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.

South Africa's squad for the India ODI series: Temba Bavuma (c), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen.

On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the first ODI between India and South Africa.

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#3 What will India's batting order look like?

Asia Cup Cricket - Source: Getty

There has been a fair amount of speculation regarding India's middle order for the South Africa ODI series. In Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel's absence, the hosts might have to pick a couple of players in unconventional positions.

KL Rahul claimed that he will bat at No. 6, leaving the No. 5 spot open for either Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddy. There's a toss-up between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant for the No. 4 position, and reports indicate that the former might get the nod.

It'll be interesting to see which route India take.

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#2 KL Rahul will be at the helm once again

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 1 - Source: Getty

Rahul isn't exactly viewed as a particularly encouraging captaincy option. His leadership in the Indian Premier League has been sub-par from both a tactical as well as an motivational perspective, with his teams often falling flat.

In fact, Rahul has already captained India in an ODI series against South Africa - one that didn't go too well. The keeper-batter has had some time to finetune his approach to cricket, though, and things might be different this time around.

How will Rahul fare at the helm? If he does well enough, he could even be considered India's primary vice-captain in the 50-over format.

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#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal will finally play another ODI

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 3 - Source: Getty

It seems astonishing that Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn't established himself as an ODI regular yet. Against South Africa, with Shubman Gill missing, the left-hander will have the chance to open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma.

The ODI format is arguably the one Jaiswal is most suited to, and he will be keen on making an impression. The 2027 World Cup isn't too far away, and the youngster will certainly want to be on the plane to the Rainbow Nation.