India vs South Africa: Sanju Samson Returns as Sai Sudharsan Makes Debut in Series Opener

In the first ODI of the three-match series between India and South Africa, the spotlight was on the return of the popular Sanju Samson to the Indian squad, while Sai Sudharsan earned his debut, showcasing his List A cricket prowess. As India’s captain for the series, KL Rahul revealed the playing XI for the opener, surprising many by denying debuts to the promising rookies Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh in the 50-over format.

Despite the buzz surrounding Sudharsan, Rinku, and Rajat due to their impressive performances in domestic cricket and the IPL, it was Samson who secured the finisher’s spot in the team, winning the selection battle against Rinku.

South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, won the toss and chose to bat first. KL Rahul expressed his preference for batting first as well and unveiled India’s playing XI for the match. Rahul highlighted the significance of the Pink ODI in South Africa and shared his excitement for the game.

“Special day, watched a lot of cricket on TV – the Pink ODI is a big occasion here in South Africa. Looking forward to a cracker of a game. There was a lot of spin and it was try, we’ll try to put pressure on them. Sai Sudharsan is on debut today. There are a few names that have played a lot of IPL cricket. Ruturaj did well, Tilak seems exciting, and Sanju is always exciting. We’ve got Axar and Kuldeep who’d love to see some spin. They know what pressure is and how to handle it. They all come with IPL experience, hopefully, that helps them here and they can perform to the best of their ability,” Rahul said.

South Africa Playing XI: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi

India Playing XI: KL Rahul(w/c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar