The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, set to begin on November 30, 2025. In the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill due to a neck injury, KL Rahul has been named as the stand-in captain for the series.
The ODI squad for India against South Africa
| Player | Role |
| Rohit Sharma | Batsmen |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Batsmen |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Batsmen |
| Virat Kohli | Batsmen |
| Tilak Varma | Batsmen |
| Rishabh Pant | Wicketkeeper, Batsmen |
| Dhruv Jurel | Wicketkeeper, Batsmen |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| Harshit Rana | Bowler |
| Prasidh Krishna | Bowler |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
This squad announcement marks the return of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to ODI action after stepping back from Tests and T20Is.
KL Rahul as Captain
KL Rahul is currently appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. KL Rahul first became captain of India in December 2021 during the away series against South Africa. He captained India in Test cricket for the first time in January 2022, becoming the 34th Indian Test captain. In the ODI format, he also debuted as captain in December 2021 against South Africa. He is ready to captain team India approximately after two years since he last captained India in December 2023 during a South Africa tour.
KL Rahul Experience in ODIs
Rahul has captained India in 12 ODIs before, holding a win-loss record of 8-4 (about 66.67% win rate. He has experience leading the team to series wins against Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, though he started his ODI captaincy career with a 3-0 series loss to South Africa in 2022. As a batter under his captaincy, he averages 33.55 with several half-centuries. Rahul also serves as India’s main wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs. His leadership for this series is crucial for India to maintain momentum and blend experience with youth in preparation for future tournaments including the 2027 World Cup.
Schedule of the ODI series
| ODI | Date | Venue |
| 1st | November 30, 2025 | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi |
| 2nd | December 3, 2025 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur |
| 3rd | December 6, 2025 | Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam |
This is a three-match ODI series played in India between India and South Africa as part of the multi-format series in 2025. This means he became captain first in 2021, and then after a gap, re-assumed captaincy in late 2025.
