The BCCI selectors have announced the ODI squad for South Africa series after a prolonged delay. Shikhar Dhawan is set to lead the series while Shreyas Iyer will be in the deputy. Players like Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohammed Siraj will play in the ODI series and join the T20 World Cup squad post this ODI series. Sanju Samson will be a part of this ODI series as well. Mukesh Kumar and Rajat Patidar got their first call-up.
Senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and other Worlld Cup players will be rested from the ODI series apart from the players mentioned above.
“Rohit, Virat and all T20 World Cup-bound players will be rested from the ODI series. Shikhar will lead the side. The squad will be announced soon” a senior BCCI official said.
India’s three-match ODI series is set to be played from October 6 to October 11. India will play a warm-up match against Australia in the six days of the last ODI prior to the T20 World Cup. The Indian T20 WC squad will fly to Australia by 6th October, which will help the players adjust to the conditions and time zones. Before the warm-up games, India will begin with their intra-squad practice matches.
This is also a reason why the BCCI decides to separate the ODI squad from the T20 World Cup squad. VVS Laxman will be the in-charge of this series since Rahul Dravid will be busy with the T20 WC squad.
