IND vs SA, 1st ODI: With Rohit Sharma and co. flying away to Australia for the all-important World Cup, it is now time for the Shikhar Dhawan-led team India to pull up their socks and brave the Proteas fire. The Indian team will play a three-match ODI series against Temba Bavuma and his troops. The first match will be played at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Unfortunately, things look pretty bleak in Lucknow as of now. The city has been witness to heavy rainfall and it will certainly affect the course of the first ODI. The scheduled time for the toss was 1 pm (IST) and the first ball was to be bowled at 1:30 pm IST. Subject to the heavy rains, the toss has been rescheduled for 1:30 pm IST and the first ball will now be bowled at 2 pm IST. The downpour started on Wednesday morning and caused waterlogging in more than two dozen areas. As of now, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for the city of Lucknow. Additionally, an orange alert has been issued for other 5 areas of Uttar Pradesh which includes Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, and its adjoining areas.
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The Indian team under Shikhar Dhawan is devoid of major Indian superstars such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and others. This certainly dishes out opportunities to the youngsters who are willing to express themselves on the field and want to make a name for themselves on the highest stage. Prior to this, the Indian team inflicted a 2-1 T20I series loss on South Africa and it will be interesting to see if the ODI side can replicate the performances of the T20I side.
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India’s ODI squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar
