Who will lead India if Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer are ruled out of ODI series against South Africa?

India Test captain Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa. Moreover, he is also reportedly doubtful for the subsequent three-match ODI series against the same team. The Indian squad for the contest is expected to be announced on November 23, but the hosts might have to find a new captain for the same if Gill is ruled out.

Shreyas Iyer, who was the vice-captain of the team on the Australia tour, is also injured and might not feature in the ODI series, which leaves the selectors scratching their heads over the leadership group for the series. Having removed Rohit Sharma from captaincy only recently, it is unlikely that they will go back to him. The same is the case with Virat Kohli, who last led India in 2022 in any format.

What are the options left for India in terms of captaincy?

In this case, KL Rahul is the only senior player left in the team who has led India in 12 ODIs so far, winning eight and losing four. However, he last led India in the format back in 2023 and has been playing as a wicketkeeper-batter for more than a couple of years now.

Hardik Pandya could’ve been an option, but even he is unlikely to feature in the ODI series. Rishabh Pant wasn’t part of the ODI series in Australia as he was injured, but could return to the setup again and end up leading the Indian team. The southpaw has never led the men in blue in the 50-over format, but is part of the leadership group in Tests and has also led India in T20Is before.

So, Rahul and Pant are the two likeliest options for India to lead in the ODI series, in case Gill and Iyer both are officially ruled out.

Schedule of IND vs SA ODI series

1st ODI – November 30 in Ranchi

2nd ODI – December 3 in Raipur

3rd ODI – December 6 in Visakhapatnam

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