Rajasthan Royals (RR) shared a cryptic post on social media after young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was included in the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa. The Jaipur-based franchise included Jaiswal in the playing eleven ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been in great form in the format.
On Sunday, November 23, the BCCI announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. KL Rahul will lead the Indian team, with many regular players out of the team due to injuries and workload. The first match between India and South Africa will be held in Ranchi on 30 November.
KL Rahul appointed India captain for ODI series against South Africa
India will be without captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer in the ODI series against South Africa. Gill is recovering from a neck problem suffered during the Kolkata Test. Meanwhile, Iyer is out of action after suffering a spleen injury in the Sydney ODI.
The selectors have recalled Rishabh Pant, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja, but Axar Patel has been left out of the team. Senior figures Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are part of the lineup, while Jasprit Bumrah has not been included.
With the regular captain unavailable, KL Rahul will take charge of the ODI team. Rahul has previously led India in 12 matches and led the team to eight wins and four losses. He last captained the Indian ODI team during the three-match overseas series in December 2023.
Rohit Sharma will open; Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad in controversy
Rohit Sharma would like to continue his good form at the top of the order. However, he will have a new opening partner in the absence of Shubman Gill. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad both are contenders.
Following the squad announcement, Rajasthan Royals took to social media to pick India’s top three for the ODI series. The franchise expressed excitement over Yashasvi Jaiswal’s replacement in the lineup alongside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the three-match series against South Africa.
That top 3 https://t.co/mbbA2cT3nF pic.twitter.com/PWUeD7CsA5
– Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) 23 November 2025
The Jaipur-based franchise ignored Ruturaj Gaikwad for the top order. Gaikwad returned to the Indian national cricket team after a gap of 16 months following his impressive performance.
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Ruturaj Gaikwad for opening batsman’s role in India vs South Africa ODI
Jaiswal has played only one ODI match so far. This came against England in Nagpur in 2024, where he scored 15 runs. The left-handed batsman has been a backup opener in this format and has not got many chances in the playing eleven.
Gaikwad, on the other hand, has participated in six ODIs. He has opened the innings in four of them and has top-scored with 98 of his 115 ODI runs. He has more experience in this format than Jaiswal.
Gaikwad has 4,534 runs in 89 List A matches at an average of 57.39. Jaiswal has 1,526 runs in 33 List A games at an average of 52.62. Gaikwad is also in excellent touch at the moment. In the recent three-match series between India A and South Africa A, he recorded scores of 117, 68* and 25 while opening.
Gaikwad seems to be a better option for opening in the ODI against South Africa. However, Jaiswal was with the team for India’s previous ODI series, where they lost 1–2.
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