SA vs IND: ODI series, head coach to focus on Test matches Rahul Dravid to skip India’s

India head coach Rahul Dravid will not be at the helm of the Indian team in their 3-match ODI series vs South Africa. The head coach, who recently agreed to a contract extension with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will oversee the preparations for the 2-match Test series.

The BCCI announced the development on Saturday, 16 December via a press release.

“Team India (Senior Men) Head Coach Mr Rahul Dravid, Batting Coach Mr Vikram Rathour, Bowling Coach Mr Paras Mhambrey and Fielding Coach Mr T. Dilip will link up with the Test squad and oversee their preparations for the inter-squad game and the Test series,” the BCCI release signed by Jay Shah said.

In the absence of Rahul Dravid, India will be assisted by India A’s Coaching Staff comprising Batting Coach Sitanshu Kotak, Bowling Coach Rajib Datta and Fielding Coach Ajay Ratra.

The team will play three matches against South Africa in the ODI series. The South African side will be under the leadership of Aiden Markram. The teams will be coming into the series after sharing the spoils (1-1) in the T20I series. The first ODI match will be played in Johannesburg.

Deepak Chahar Withdraws from ODIs

The Indian team will now be under the captaincy of KL Rahul, who will captain the ODI side. The India wicketkeeper-batter will be seen in action for the first time since India’s defeat in the ODI World Cup Final against Australia. Rahul will not have the services of Deepak Chahar in the 3-match series and will also not have the services of Shreyas Iyer – who will not play the 2nd and 3rd matches to focus on preparations for the Test series.

India’s Updated ODI Squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep