India vs South Africa 2025 ODI Series Likely Best Squad List
With Shreyas Iyer expected to be ruled out, discover Team India likely best squad players list for India vs South Africa 2025 ODI series.
Just a few weeks back, we saw our beloved players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in action in the ODI series vs Australia. As if that action was not enough for the fans, the duo will once again be seen, this time at home in the 3-match ODI series vs South Africa. Yes, South Africa will be touring India this time, and India will be playing a total of 3 ODIs vs South Africa starting November 30, 2025.
It will be another tough competition for the Indian team, who unfortunately lost the ODI series 1-2 against Australia. The mighty Aussies were too strong for the Indian team, and even as Rohit Sharma was awarded the Player of the Series award, the rest of the batting and bowling let the Indian team down. But with preparation underway for the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Indian team will want to make a strong comeback against South Africa.
However, Team India have a few bad news to begin with from the squad point of view. A few potential starters will be missing the ODI series due to injury, and Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for this ODI series as well. So, with just a few weeks left for the ODI series, let’s, in the meantime, analyse the existing pool of players, and find out the likely best squad list for Team India for the 2025 ODI series vs South Africa.
India vs South Africa ODI Series Squad List
Let’s start with the batters, and this is where the main change shall be visible. Shreyas Iyer, who is currently recovering from a big injury, is likely to miss the ODI series vs South Africa. This means India will need a potential replacement in the middle order. But who makes the cut in place of Shreyas Iyer? Well, to be honest, given the lack of ODIs these days, there aren’t many potential names to watch out for. The only name that seems an ideal replacement for Iyer, and he is also fit to play, is Rishabh Pant.
Pant has always been in contention for ODIs, and since he is back from the injury, expect him to take Iyer’s place. So, aside from this change in the batting department, expect India to continue with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, Virat Kohli in the middle-order, and Yashasvi Jaiswal as backup opener. Meanwhile, for the wicket-keepers, India are likely to continue with Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul, with Rishabh Pant as the third keeper in the side.
Hardik Pandya to Miss the ODI Series vs SA
Coming to All-rounders, India will once again miss the services of Hardik Pandya, who may not be rushed back to the team, given ODIs are of the least priority at the moment. So, with Hardik not there and Jadeja out of contention, expect India to continue with 3 All-rounders, Axar Patel, Nitish Reddy, and Washington Sundar. Currently, these three are the best All-rounders in the team, and should get a longer rope in the absence of Hardik Pandya.
Talking about the bowling department, India are once again likely to miss Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, similar to Hardik Pandya, may be rested for this series as well to manage the workload. Moreover, In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Praisdh Krishna shall lead the pace department. For the spin department, India might or might not include Varun Chakravarthy. Ideally, Vaun should be a part of the squad, but if not, Kuldeep, Sundar, and Axar shall lead the spin department.
India vs South Africa Likely Best ODI Squad and Players List
Batters
- Rohit Sharma
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Virat Kohli
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
WKs
- Dhruv Jurel
- KL Rahul
- Rishabh Pant
All-rounders
- Axar Patel
- Nitish Reddy
- Washington Sundar
Bowlers
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
So, that’s about the likely best squad list for Team India for the 2025 ODI series vs South Africa. Unlike Australia, South Africa are slightly less difficult on paper. But even then, it would be a great opportunity for players, especially Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, to not only get the rhythm back, but also to entertain the fans. From the team’s Point of view, we may not see much experimentation, unless we are leading the series 2-0, and see some changes in the third ODI.
India vs South Africa 2025 ODI Series Schedule Fixtures
- 1st ODI, November 30, 2025 @ Ranchi – 1:30 pm IST
- 2nd ODI, December 03, 2025 @ Raipur – 1:30 pm IST
- 3rd ODI, December 06, 2025 @ Visakhapatnam – 1:30 pm IST
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