SA vs IND: BCCI awaiting clarity on Rohit Sharma's fitness, likely to delay ODI squad announcement

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to delay the announcement of the India squad for the South Africa ODIs. The Chetan Sharma-led selection panel was set to reveal the squad before the end of the first Test between India and South Africa, but with uncertainty over the fitness of Rohit Sharma, the board is likely to wait for a few more days. The 34-year-old suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out of the three-match Test series against South Africa.

The South Africa ODI series will be Rohit Sharma's first series as full time ODI captain. He was also named the T20I captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role. Rohit started his T20I captaincy tenure on a bright note by winning a series against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Ravi Ashwin, Venkatesh Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal are also likely to be named in the ODI squad. Ashwin has had a terrific year in 2021. He started the year by bagging a 10-fer and scoring a 100 in the Chennai Test against England.

Later, he was named in the 20-20 World Cup squad. The move garnered eyeballs as he had not played in the shortest format for four years. However, the off-spinner bowled well and ended up taking six wickets.

He continued his good form in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. Now, in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who is struggling with a forearm injury, Ashwin is likely to be named in the ODI squad for the South Africa series.

Leg-spinner Chahal is also likely to return to the ODI squad. Gaikwad and Iyer’s terrific performances in this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy will also be hard for selectors to ignore. Shikhar Dhawan is also hopeful for a return to the squad.