India cricket team star Rishabh Pant could very well captain the side in the IND vs SA ODI series as well. The southpaw, who last featured in an ODI in August 2024, is all set to not only mark his return to the 50-over format but also lead as the skipper. He is currently captaining the Indian team in the IND vs SA 2nd Test in the absence of Shubman Gill.
Pant as India captain for IND vs SA ODIs?
As per The Week, the Indian team management is in no rush to hurry Gill back into action after the neck injury that he suffered in Kolkata saw him being ruled out of the IND vs SA 2nd Test. Instead Pant, who took over the reins of the Test team, is expected to continue as captain for the ODI series as well. It is pertinent to point out that while there are other seniors like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma who can lead the side, Shreyas Iyer was the vice-captain but he too is unlikely to be a part of the series, leading to the selectors and the management zeroing in on Pant to lead the side in the ODIs as well.
The report states that since Gill is an integral part of the T20I setup as well, the management does not want to take any chance given that he is a certain part of India’s XI in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. In fact, the Punjab batter could might as well skip the ODI series to be fit for the T20Is vs SA that will take place between December 9-19.
As for Pant, he last featured in an ODI way back in August 2024 against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has been sidelined from the 50-over and T20Is format, with Rahul being picked as the first-choice keeper-batter in ODIs.
