Parthiv Patel names India’s playing XI for 1st ODI vs South Africa; Excluding main player
Former Indian stumper Parthiv has chosen a balanced side for the first ODI, with a mix of established veterans and promising young talent, with a tactical tilt towards spin. The XI starts with the familiar opening pair Rohit Sharma And Yashasvi Jaiswalfollowed by the tough one Virat Kohli at number 3, setting up a solid top order. The main selection surprise comes at the number 4 position, where Parthiv has opted for the 22-year-old Tilak Varma. Tilak, who has established himself in the T20I format, boasts impressive List A statistics with 1724 runs in 44 matches.
His List A average stands at a strong 45.36, which includes five centuries, indicating consistency in the longer white-ball format. The young left-hander has also enjoyed success against the Proteas before, having scored his only ODI match against them in Paarl two years ago. This choice directly leads to the omission of Rishabh pantswho returns to the ODI set-up after a long layoff since July 2024. Patel’s choice is likely to be influenced by the fact that deputy captain KL Rahul has already been designated to keep wickets, a role he has held for the past two and a half years.
The middle order is strengthened by Rahul (c) and the all-round ability of Ravindra Jadeja at number 6. In a move that favored spin, Patel chose three slow-bowling options: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadavand neither Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddydepending on the circumstances. The pace unit consists of a trio of young fast bowlers: Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana And Arshdeep Singh.
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IND vs SA: Reason behind exclusion of superstar player
The decision to exclude a player of Pant’s caliber, especially if he is available, highlights concerns over his recent form and confidence. Patel’s rationale is likely rooted in Pant’s less-than-productive record in the ODI format, where he averages a modest 33.50 across his 31 appearances. Despite his Test success, Pant has only managed one ODI century, which came against England in Manchester in 2022. Moreover, the wicketkeeper-batsman recently went through a “forgettable time” during the previous Test series against South Africa.
His performance with the bat in the four Test innings was significantly below expectations, with scores of 27, 2, 7 and 13. The poor batting form was compounded by the fact that he was the stand-in captain for the second Test in Guwahati. In that match, his captaincy decisions also came under scrutiny after India suffered their record-breaking heaviest defeat in terms of runs (408).
This combination of modest ODI stats and recent low confidence from the Test series is likely to have convinced Patel to back the in-form Tilak instead. The hosts, looking for quick redemption in the ODI series after the Test defeat, may prefer a line-up with players operating at their peak form. The management is likely trying to protect the 28-year-old Pant and give him more time to regain his optimal form and confidence away from the immediate pressure from the playing XI.
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