IND vs SA 2021: 5 Indian batters who played in 2018 ODI series against South Africa but will miss upcoming series
India and South Africa will lock horns in a three-match ODI series later this month, with all matches being part of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.
South Africa have not played a home ODI series against India since 2018. The last time these two teams clashed in an ODI series on South African soil was four years ago. The visitors won the six-match series 5-1 then.
Virat Kohli captained that team, but he is no longer present in the leadership group of the Indian ODI team. Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain, while KL Rahul is the skipper for India in the upcoming ODI series.
Apart from the change in leadership, there have also been some changes in the Indian batting unit since that series. On that note, here's a list of five batters who played in that 2018 ODI series against South Africa but will not feature in the upcoming series even though they haven't retired.
#1 Rohit Sharma
New India ODI captain Rohit Sharma was all set to take over the reins of the 50-over team from the South Africa series onwards. However, he will not play in the upcoming series because of a hamstring injury.
The right-handed batter injured his hamstring just before the departure to South Africa. In the 2018 ODI series, Sharma was the third-highest run-getter with 170 runs.
#2 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane scored 140 runs in five innings during the 2018 ODI series between India and South Africa. He was the fifth-highest run-getter among both teams, but he lost his place in the ODI team after that series.
Rahane is still a part of the Test team. However, many fans feel he may soon lose his spot because of his poor form.
#3 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was selected in the Indian ODI squad as a middle-order batter for the series against South Africa. However, the team management did not pick him in the playing XI even once.
Pandey played for India in their previous ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, but he has not been picked for the current South Africa tour.
#4 Kedar Jadhav
https://t.co/wCGqn4YbHP
Kedar Jadhav played three matches during that India vs South Africa series, but he got a chance to bat only once, scoring only one run in that inning.
Like Ajinkya Rahane, Jadhav is no longer a regular member of India's ODI team. The last time fans saw Jadhav in action for India was during the series against New Zealand in February 2020.
#5 Dinesh Karthik
So close yet so far...
Proud of this amazing bunch for the consistency shown throughout this tournament and year.
Congratulations team Himachal Pradesh 😊
#VijayHazareTrophy https://t.co/6dMFwFUgw0
Dinesh Karthik was India's back-up wicket-keeper in that series against South Africa, with MS Dhoni being the number one keeper. Dhoni has not been included in this list because he has retired, but Karthik is still active.
Karthik did not play a single game in that 2018 ODI series. He last played for India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.