Sanju Samson Returns, No Place For...: KL Rahul Reveals India's XI For 1st ODI vs South Africa

17.12.2023 - 09:33 sports.ndtv.com

As India took on South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series, returned the popular Sanju Samson to the fold while Sai Sudharsan made his debut for the Indian, having impressed the selectors with his exploits in List A cricket.

As India skipper KL Rahul announced the playing Xi for the series opener, two rookies -- Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh -- were denied debuts in the 50-over format of the game.

In fact, it was Samson who won the battle against Rinku for the finisher's spot in the team. A lot was talked about the trio of Sudharsan, Rinku and Rajat, considering how well they've done in domestic cricket and the IPL.

Rinku, in fact, has already made a reputation of himself as a match-winner in India's T20I team. But, there was no place for him in the 1st ODI team.

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India Aiden Markram Heinrich Klaasen Tony De-Zorzi Sanju Samson Sai Sudharsan Kl Rahul South Africa India

Fresh from scoring his maiden ODI century, India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was seen playing football during a local tournament in Kerala. Earlier this month, Samson scored his first hundred for India in the third and final ODI against South Africa at the Boland Park in Paarl, helping India win the series by a 2-1 margin. Current not part of the Indian team for the ongoing Test series against the Proteas, Samson is enjoying his time away from the sport by playing football at a local tournament in Kerala.

"Tactically Big Mistake...": Ravi Shastri Underlines Fault In Rohit Sharma-led India's Strategy vs South Africa

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team endured a tough second day in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on Wednesday. When bad light forced early stumps, South Africa had already taken a 11-run lead with five wickets remaining courtesy Den Elgar's classy unbeaten 140. Before that KL Rahul's 101 had taken India to 245, which many experts felt was a decent enough total. The start of India's bowling was not bad either as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Aiden Markram cheaply.

"Keeper Clueless, Bowler Livid": How Comedy Of Errors Helped KL Rahul Score A Brilliant Ton vs South Africa

KL Rahul played one pf the most memorable innings by an Indian batter in South Africa on Wednesday as the side put up a decent 245 in the first innings of the first Test in Centurion. The batter almost waged a lone battle scoring 101, while the next best individual score was 38 by Virat Kohli. Battling lean patch in Tests for a while, KL made a comeback playing on a tough Centurion surface, coming to the crease at 92/4, the middle-order batter batted for most of his knock with lower middle-order/lower-order batters to register a memorable comeback ton.

KL Rahul's Monumental Test Century Stands Tall Among India's Best In South Africa

Battling against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and the South African pacers on a tough Centurion pitch, KL Rahul joined the ranks of esteemed Indian batters like Sachin Tendulkar and former captain Mohammad Azharuddin who have delivered memorable centuries on South African soil. Amidst a struggling lower order, KL Rahul stood tall, constructing an innings that resonated with both judgment and intent. His 101 runs, brought up with a six over mid-wicket against Gerald Coetzee, were laced with 14 fours and four sixes and took the team's total to 245. The knock helped Rahul solidify his reputation as India's new Mr. Dependable. This was KL Rahul's eighth century in Test matches and perhaps his most gritty one. His inning was filled with confident strokes and sheer determination and rescued India from a peculiar position in the first Test match of the series.

Hit Or Flop? Decoding The Curious Case Of Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson's talent, and potential if you could term it that at the age of 29, is beyond reproach. An elegant stroke player with the ability to take any bowling attack in the world to the cleaners, Samson has, deservedly, earned a cult following for himself, mostly based on his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Having made his IPL debut back in 2013, the wicket-keeper batsman has aged like fine wine in the domestic franchisee-based cricket league, getting better and better with every passing season. So far, Samson has amassed 3,888 runs in 152 IPL outings with an average of close to 30 and a strike rate of 137.19.

Rahul Dravid Confirms KL Rahul As Wicket-Keeper For SA Tests, Ex India Stumper Disagrees

India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that KL Rahul, who has not kept wickets in red-ball cricket much, will take up the role behind the stumps for the first red-ball contest against South Africa, starting December 26. Rahul wasn't India's designated wicket-keeper in any of the three formats during his early days in the team but made the transition quite well in white-ball cricket. He is now India's No. 1 choice behind the stumps in both T20Is and ODIs. Now, the team management wants to see how he does behind the stumps in Tests. But, former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel isn't in agreement.