(Cricket news) After a disappointing 2-1 loss in the Test series, India will now gear up for the 3 match ODI series against South Africa. This will be India's first ODI series since the one March 2021 against England. KL Rahul will lead the side with Jasprit Bumrah as his deputy. Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are injured while Washington Sundar who was initially named in the squad picked up Covid. It goes without saying that the 2023 World Cup will be in the minds of the players and the coaching staff during the series. This will be the beginning of the experimental phase where the side is figuring out the best playing XI going forward.

Here's India's ideal playing XI:

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaekwad

After his performance against England in the last ODI series, Dhawan is guaranteed to open the batting at least in the near future. Whether KL Rahul opens the batting remains to be seen. Rahul has batted primarily in the middle order in the ODIs. Gaekwad's performance in the Vijay Hazare where he was the highest run scorer along with his Orange cap winning IPL makes him too difficult to drop. Ishan Kishan is the other option in the opening spot.

Middle order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Surya Kumar Yadav

Virat Kohli is a no contest selection to bat at number 3. Now that he isn't the captain in any format he will concentrate on his batting. The other way to look at it would be that now he has to perform with the bat to stay in the side. Having said that, sooner rather than later is bound to become the invincible batter who wins games single handedly. KL Rahul will have the added responsibility of being the skipper and should be comfortable batting at 4. Surya Kumar Yadav gets into the team with his flexibility being the biggest asset. He can bat anywhere between 3-7. Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer are the other two options but these 3 would make the strongest middle order.

Wicket keeper: Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is another must have player in the side. He will be high on confidence due to his ton in the last Test match along with his performance in the 3rd ODI against England. The gloveman could bat anywhere between 4-7 depending on the situation. The alternative would be Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul who can both keep wickets but if Pant is in the side he will be behind the stumps even and not in the outfield.

All-rounder: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer is very likely to make his debut. He is possibly the only proper All-rounder in the team. The balance of this team is very tricky as none of the top 6 batters are handy with the ball like Kedar Jadhav was a couple of years back. If Iyer is going to bat at number 7 he will have to bowl 10 overs. He performed well with both the ball and the bat in the Vijay Hazare trophy which would boost his selection. The absence of Ravindra Jadeja is an opportunity for him to push into the side as Jadeja is likely to bat at number 7 once he is back. There is a chance that Shardul Thakur or Ravichandran Ashwin are selected to bat at 7 which would allow KL Rahul to have 5 pure bowlers but it would make the tail longer. Iyer would then have to fight for a spot in the top 6 as a batting All-rounder. How the team management uses Iyer is the big question mark going into the series.

Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin

If India are to play two spinners which would be likely, Chahal and Ashwin are the two. Jayant Yadav is the other option now that Washington Sundar is unavailable. It is unlikely for India to go in with one spinner especially when there isn't a bankable part time spinner in the squad. The combination of wrist and finger spin could be a deadly one. 

Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Jasprit Bumrah is undroppable even more so now that he is the vice captain. Picking the other seamer would be the most difficult choice in this selection Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India's best bowler in theri last ODI series against England. Despite not having a good IPL his selection would be justified. Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Deepak Chahar are the other options. Mohammed Shami is rested for the series and he will be at the top of the pecking order once he is back. India clearly have a lot of options in the seam bowling department which might suggest that they will play 3 seamers once Ravindra Jadeja is back.

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