SA vs IND: India playing XI vs South Africa, 1st ODI, 2023 – Predicted

India will face South Africa in the 1st ODI on Sunday at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

After an exciting T20I series, it is time for a three-match ODI series between India and South Africa. The T20I series ended in a draw, with both teams winning one game each. Now the challenge will be different, and some players will be different. Aiden Markram will lead Proteas, while KL Rahul will be leading India.

The first ODI match will take place on Sunday at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Team India will see some new faces in the 50-overs format, and some of the players will be making their debuts. Here we will talk about the predicted playing XI for India for the first ODI.

SA vs IND: India’s Predicted playing XI vs South Africa

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad :

Ruturaj Gaikwad missed the T20I series against South Africa due to alleged illness. But he will be India’s first-choice opener in the ODIs. Gaikwad is in good form and scored runs against Australia. He is a pretty confident player, and the team can trust him to provide a good start. Gaikwad himself will be keen to get some runs.

2. B Sai Sudharsan :

B Sai Sudharsan is likely to make his debut for India in the first game. Southpaw will be the second opener. He has been in good form since IPL 2023. Sai has scored runs at the domestic level and for India A as well. He will look to make his debut memorable.

3. Shreyas Iyer :

Shreyas Iyer will be India’s No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli. Iyer has been in great form and has shown everyone that he is a pretty good player in the middle-order. He was one of the top run-scorers for India in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at home and will be looking to carry on that form in the coming ODIs.

4. Tilak Varma :

Tilak Varma is expected to bat at No. 4, which is his usual position in white-ball format. The left-hander has been in good form and played in both the T20Is against South Africa. He has already made his ODI debut and will be looking to do well in the coming games. His presence in the team will also provide an extra bowling option for India.

5. KL Rahul (C & Wk) :

Skipper KL Rahul will bat at No. 5, as he did in the World Cup 2023. He has been in good form since his return from the injury. Being a captain, he will look to make an impact and take his team to victory. It is not easy to win in South Africa, but he has the caliber to change things around.

6. Rinku Singh :

Everyone is waiting to see Rinku Singh bat in ODIs. He has already proven himself to be a pretty skilled player in the shortest format of the game and has played some brilliant innings in the limited opportunities he has got. That is why he earned his ODI call-up. But ODI is a different ball game, if he succeeds in it, he is surely the player for the future.

7. Washington Sundar :

Washington Sundar might get an edge over Axar Patel and will be the spin all-rounder in the first ODI. Sundar has been traveling with the team but hasn’t gotten his chances. But with no big ODI tournament coming up, he might get the game. Sundar is a pretty good spinner who can bowl in powerplay and can bat pretty well.

8. Kuldeep Yadav :

Kuldeep Yadav made his birthday memorable with a five-wicket haul in the third and final T20I against South Africa on Thursday. He will be confident after that performance and will carry on the momentum. Kuldeep will be a threat for the hosts because he is very hard to pick, and as seen in the third T20I, he will get spin and turn in Johannesburg.

9. Arshdeep Singh :

Arshdeep Singh has played three ODIs for India but hasn’t picked up a wicket yet. But he will look to do it in the first ODI against Proteas. The left-arm pacer will be swinging the ball around. He got some swing in the third T20I and can be a dangerous bowler with the new ball. 

10. Mukesh Kumar :

Mukesh Kumar made his international debut across formats in 2023, and India have backed him a lot. Hence, we will see him bowling as the first change in the first ODI on Sunday. He is a pretty accurate bowler who depends a lot on his line and length. Mukesh also gets a good bounce because of his height and can be a hard bowler to face if he gets into his rhythm.

11. Avesh Khan :

Avesh Khan is likely to share the new ball with Arshdeep in the first ODI. With Deepak Chahar not available, Avesh will be India’s bowler up front. He is a skiddy candidate who bowls at a hard lengths. The pacer likes to hit the deck and bowl bouncers, which makes him hard to bat against. He will like to give India a good start and pick some wickets with the new ball.

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