India vs South Africa 2025 1st ODI Best Predicted Playing 11
With KL Rahul to lead, explore both teams’ best predicted playing 11 for India vs South Africa 2025 1st ODI.
After a 0-2 mauling by the visitors, South Africa in the 2-match Test series, it’s time for the 3-match ODI series. Team India probably gave their worst performance in the history of Test Cricket as they suffered two consecutive whitewashes against two quality teams at home. While the wounds are still fresh, will that shattering take a beating on the confidence of the ODI team, which still looks strong on paper?
However, Team India will be without a lot of quality players for the ODI series. As many as five first-choice players won’t be a part of the ODI side for South Africa, and that is already a big sign of concern for the team that may already be low on confidence. Among the quality players that will be missing the ODI series are Captain Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah.
With so many quality players missing in the Indian team, it will be a completely revamped Indian side for the ODI series. A lot of new and promising players will be trying to make a case for themselves in the absence of the key players. But what does the likely playing 11 look like for Team India and South Africa? Well, let’s analyse the squad list for each team, and find out the India vs South Africa 2025 1st ODI likely best playing 11 for both teams.
Key Match Details
Tour Details: South Africa Tour of India 2025
Match Details: India vs South Africa 1st ODI
Where: Ranchi
When: November 30, 2025, 1:30 pm IST
The first ODI shall be played in Ranchi, and coincidentally, the last ODI played on this ground was also India vs South Africa in 2022. It was a decent match with India chasing 280 runs in 46 overs. Another interesting fact is that, barring Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, none of the current squad members were a part of that playing 11. Shreyas Iyer was the player of the match for his hundred, and he was equally supported by Ishan Kishan’s 90.
India vs South Africa Official ODI Squad and Players List
Batters
- Rohit Sharma
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Tila Varma
- Virat Kohli
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
WKs
- Dhruv Jurel
- KL Rahul (c)
- Rishabh Pant
All-rounders
- Nitish Reddy
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Washington Sundar
Bowlers
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Prasidh Krishna
The biggest question for the Indian Cricket Team shall be the choice of the second opener alongside Rohit Sharma. With Shubman Gill missing the series due to injury, the second opener slot should ideally go to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been the backup so far in ODIs. With Yashasvi Jaiswal opening alongside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli following them, the top 3 look settled for the first two ODIs at least.
Now, coming to the middle-order, this is where things could be interesting as India are without Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya. With these three players missing, Rishabh Pant should ideally play at number 4, and KL Rahul at number 5. Whereas in the lower-order, we should most likely see Nitish Reddy at 6, Ravindra Jadeja at 7, and Washington Sundar at 8; thus completing the complete batting order for the Indian team.
Now, in terms of the bowling lineup, aside from the three All-rounders as seen in the form of Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, we should see Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana as the other three bowlers in the side. Harshit Rana at number 9 will be a welcome addition. If India trusts the batting of Harshit Rana more, India may decide to play an extra pacer in place of Nitish Reddy. This won’t be a bad option either.
India vs South Africa 2025 1st ODI Best Predicted Playing 11
- Rohit Sharma
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Nitish Reddy
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Washington Sundar
- Harshit Rana
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
India vs South Africa Official ODI Squad and Players List for SA
Batters
- Aiden Markram
- Dewald Brevis
- Matthew Breetzke
- Temba Bavuma (c)
- Tony de Zorzi
Wks
- Quinton de Kock
- Rubin Hermann
- Ryan Rickelton
All-rounders
- Corbin Bosch
- Marco Jansen
- Prenelan Subrayen
Bowlers
- Keshav Maharaj
- Lungi Ngidi
- Nandre Burger
- Ottneil Baartman
Coming to South Africa’s playing 11, Temba Bavuma shall lead the team. Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram should open the innings with Temba Bavuma at number 3. The middle-order should comprise Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, and Tony de Zorzi. The lower-order should rely on Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen. Whereas Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, and Lungi Ngidi should complete the rest of the bowling lineup.
India vs South Africa 2025 1st ODI Best Playing 11 for SA
- Aiden Markram
- Quinton de Kock (wk)
- Temba Bavuma (c)
- Tony De Zorzi
- Matthew Breetzke
- Dewald Brevis
- Corbin Bosch
- Marco Jansen
- Lungi Ngidi
- Nandre Burger
- Keshav Maharaj
So, that’s about the best playing 11 for the India vs South Africa 1st ODI at Ranchi. Given India’s lack of so many quality players, this will be a great opportunity for visiting South Africa to humiliate Team India for the 2nd series in a row. Team India had recently lost 1-2 to Australia in the ODI series, and there is a high chance, they might face a tough fight from the South African team. Thanks for reading. What’s your playing 11 for the match? Please share your thoughts on business@cricalytics.com or in the comment section below.
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