High-stakes audition for Rohit, Kohli as India face buoyant South Africa in first ODI
_vb_25.jpeg)
Ranchi (PTI): India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Both Rohit and Kohli now compete in just one international format, and with India scheduled to play only six ODIs in the next two months -- three against the Proteas and three versus New Zealand at home in January -- the stakes have rarely been higher for two of Indian cricket's modern-day greats.
The performance in these games could have a direct bearing on their prospects for the 2027 ODI World Cup. It may not seal their 2027 World Cup destinies, but it begins a high-stakes audition -- one that could either extend two legendary careers or nudge them closer to an inevitable sunset.
A slice of symbolism
Incidentally, it was at this very JSCA Stadium back in 2013 that Rohit Sharma was first backed as a full-time opener -- a defining moment that transformed not only his white-ball career but also India's 50-over outlook for years.
More than a decade later, the 37-year-old walks into Ranchi again, this time seeking a different kind of revival as India attempt to rebuild after losing the home Test series.
For India, the ODI series comes in the shadow of the T20 World Cup at home next year, a tournament that will invariably dictate selection priorities.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, too, enters this series under scrutiny though his job is not under threat sice his contract runs till 2027 World Cup.
His tactical calls and team selections were questioned after the Test setback -- his second major failure since taking charge. This ODI series is an important opportunity for Gambhir to stabilise the narrative and showcase clarity in India's white-ball direction.
While the ODIs may not be his immediate priority with the T20 World Cup at home looming next year, Gambhir will nevertheless be keen to restore stability and demonstrate direction in India's white-ball approach.
The management would be keen to use the South Africa games to broaden the player pool, test evolving roles and identify cross-format performers who can offer stability in both white-ball squads.
Unsettled batting order
In this series too, India's XI remain far from settled with several senior players missing.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested, while regular captain Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are nursing injuries.
Their absence not only weakens the line-up but also forces stand-in skipper KL Rahul and head coach Gambhir to juggle roles and responsibilities.
The middle-order puzzle is even more delicate. The management needs to decide whether to back Washington Sundar as the spin-bowling all-rounder or the hard-hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy.
More composed Tilak Varma could also be trusted with extended runs. It also remains to be seen if the playing XI can have Rishabh Pant if skipper KL Rahul keeps the wickets.
The coaching staff are keen to use these fixtures to evaluate fringe players, develop cross-format depth and maintain rhythm for senior pros without overloading them.
India's approach needs to be pragmatic: allow the seniors to regain rhythm, give emerging batters extended runs, and use the bowling unit -- built around Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav -- to assess death-overs combinations in Bumrah's absence.
Confident Proteas, a dangerous proposition
South Africa will walk into the series with confidence after their Test series triumph, keen to extend the momentum in a format where their transition group has often blown hot and cold.
The visitors, despite missing pace spearheads Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, remain buoyant that the confidence gained in red-ball cricket can translate into white-ball sharpness in conditions that will again test their adaptability.
For captain Temba Bavuma, the ODI leg offers a chance to reinforce South Africa’s progress in 50-over cricket.
The absence of senior quicks opens the door for the likes of Gerald Coetzee, and Nandre Burger to shoulder responsibility in Indian conditions, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj will once again be central to South Africa's middle-overs control on surfaces expected to slow down.
The batting unit carries a stable look with Quinton de Kock's experience at the top, Bavuma's anchoring role and the dynamic middle-order presence of Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis and Tony de Zorzi.
With the Test win fresh in the system, the Proteas will hope that the familiarity of the tour and their enhanced temperament in pressure moments can help them dictate terms against the hosts.
The Squads:
India: KL Rahul (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen.
Match starts at 1:30PM.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
