IND vs SA, 1st ODI: KL Rahul backs Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma to make difference, says 'their importance is...'

India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul has backed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to flourish as the duo return to the ODI set-up on Sunday (Nov 30). Having announced retirement from the T20I and Test format, Rohit and Virat will be part of the ODI set-up as they face South Africa. Ahead of the ODI series, stand-in captain Rahul has underlined the importance of Rohit and Virat, insisting they will play a huge role for the Men in Blue.

Rahul underlines importance of Ro-Ko

"Their importance at any time is huge," Rahul told a news conference in Ranchi on Saturday.

"To have senior players in the team makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident and their presence (and) experience helps a lot of players in the dressing room. I am really happy they are here," he said.

Both Virat and Rohit are expected to keep their usual places in the side, meaning the former will open alongside either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Indian team management will take a call on the opener’s position in the coming hours, while Virat is expected to play at number three. Rishabh Pant is likely to play at number four with KL Rahul coming down at number five.

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Interestingly, Pant could play in the opening ODI as a specialist batter as India struggles with first-team absentees. The Indian team is already without Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as both captain and vice-captain are missing from the squad.

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The Indian Playing XI could also feature Ravindra Jadeja, who has returned back into the fold for ODIs, having been dropped for the series against Australia last month.

The first ODI will be played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, as the match will start at 1:30 pm IST, while the toss will take place at 1:00 pm IST.