Can Rohit and Kohli lift gloomy India?

India find themselves surrounded by question marks over their Test form at home after clean sweeps against New Zealand and South Africa over the last 12 months. From that standpoint, the players and coaching staff would welcome a change in scenario. ODI cricket is a format where India are largely comfortable, having won the Champions Trophy earlier in the year. The presence of star duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be a massive boost.

Rohit and Kohli headlined India's previous ODI assignment in Australia, and with this being the only format they now play in national colours, there will be plenty of focus on them. At the twilight of their careers, they could bring cheer to a gloomy outfit and help India return to their best.

This series also presents a rare opportunity to test India's bench strength in ODIs. With Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer absent, there are openings in the batting order. While there has been clamour to include Ruturaj Gaikwad, India have no shortage of batting talent. With Hardik Pandya unavailable, India could use this series to give Nitish Reddy a prolonged run as a backup seam-bowling allrounder.

From South Africa's perspective, they will look to pile on more misery on the home side. They lost their most recent ODI assignment in Pakistan but will be bolstered by the return of first-choice players. These ODIs and the following T20Is are important for exposure ahead of the T20 World Cup in February.

When: Sunday, November 30 at 1:30 PM IST

Where: JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

What to expect: Clear skies are expected. Ranchi's most recent ODI was three years ago against South Africa. The venue usually doesn't witness high-scoring games.

Head-to-head: South Africa lead 51-40 overall, but in India, the hosts lead 18-14.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to open alongside Rohit Sharma. India have decisions to make in the middle order, with KL Rahul confirmed to bat at six. An allrounder could slot in at five if India seek a sixth bowling option.

India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Reddy, KL Rahul (C), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh

Quinton de Kock's successful comeback and Aiden Markram's return should keep Ryan Rickelton out. Matthew Breetzke will shoulder responsibility in the middle order after a strong start to his ODI career.

South Africa Probable XI: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (WK), Temba Bavuma (C), Matthew Breetzke, Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

Stats:

• Rohit Sharma needs two sixes to equal Shahid Afridi's record for most sixes in ODIs.
• Quinton de Kock has six centuries and one half-century against India in ODIs.
• India have won nine of their 10 bilateral ODI series at home since the 2019 World Cup, with their only loss coming against Australia in 2023.

Quote: "I am happy to have him back again with the ODI team. He missed the Australia series but was key in us winning the Champions Trophy. He is someone who can do everything and has always done everything the team required." – KL Rahul on Ravindra Jadeja's return.