India vs South Africa Live Score, 1st ODI at Paarl: Rahul, Bavuma look to start off on positive note – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

India vs South Africa, Live Cricket Score, Today’s 1st ODI Match: There have been winds of change in Indian cricket. Virat Kohli is no longer India’s captain in any format. This was supposed to be Rohit Sharma’s first series as white-ball captain but he will miss out after failing to recover from a hamstring injury. This means KL Rahul will lead India for the three-match ODI series. The white-ball transition will start for India. They will take first step in building towards the 2023 World Cup. South Africa, on the other hand, too would be looking to build for the mega event. They will look to carry forward the momentum from the Test series win. They missed out narrowly on qualifying for the knockout stages of T20 World Cup but their character and fight stood out. And they would look to build on that performance.

Preview: India take on South Africa in the 1st ODI at the Boland Park in Paarl.

India started off the tour on a positive note beating South Africa in their fortress Centurion in the first Test but then lost their way as the Proteas bounced back strongly to clinch the Test series 2-1.

File image of KL Rahul. AP

Virat Kohli resigned as Test captain as well after the loss. He had earlier stepped down at the T20 captain before being removed as the ODI captain.

Rohit Sharma was named the new white-ball skipper. The ODI series against South Africa was supposed to be his first series in charge but he will miss out due to hamstring injury which has bothered him for a while. KL Rahul will lead the side while Jasprit Bumrah will be his deputy.

Both India and South Africa will look to build for the 2023 World Cup. India’s white-ball transition will begin with the South Africa series where a nearly full strength squad will take part.

The focus will be on Kohli the batter as he takes the field as non captain for the first time in more than five years. Venkatesh Iyer will audition for the seam bowling all-rounders’ spot in absence of Hardik Pandya who is dropped.

Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad will compete for the opening spot as KL Rahul has confirmed that he will open the batting in absence of Rohit Sharma.

Rahul indicated that the pitch at Boland Park might offer little bit of spin so India might go in with a three pacer-two spinner strategy with Venkatesh Iyer being the sixth bowling option.

India would look to improve their bowling as they have the third-worst bowling average since 2019 World Cup. Their Powerplay bowling needs vast improvement as well.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be looking to carry forward the momentum after the Test series win. Temba Bavuma is back to leading the ODI side after missing the last three with a thumb injury. Lungi Ngidi will lead the pace department while Tabraiz Shamsi will lead the spin department. Their batting is their main strength and they look a formidable unit.

Two strong teams looking to make a statement. We are in for a cracker in Paarl.

Here are all the details about the first ODI between South Africa and India.

When will the first ODI between South Africa and India take place?

The first ODI between India and South Africa will take place on 19 January 2022.

What is the venue for the South Africa-India match?

The match will take place at Bolant Park, Paarl

When will the match start?

The match will begin at 2 pm IST. The toss will take place at 1.30 pm IST.

Which TV channels will broadcast India vs South Africa match?

The match will be telecast on Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the match will also be available on Disney + Hotstar. You can also browse Firstpost.com for live updates and over-by-over commentary.