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India misses Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer due to injuries in the ODI series against South Africa. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad replace them, with KL Rahul as captain.
Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are recovering from serious injuries.
(PC: AFP, PTI)
India will be without their two best ODI batters, captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, in the ongoing three-match series against South Africa. Both players picked up injuries while playing for the country, within a few days of each other, and had to spend time in hospitals.
Iyer suffered a laceration to his spleen with internal bleeding after a blunt impact to his abdomen while taking a catch during the third ODI against Australia on October 25, 2025, in Sydney. The injury was even considered life-threatening at one time, and he spent a few days in a hospital and returned to India only recently.
He’s likely to miss the next several weeks of cricket as he continues to rehab and get back to full match fitness. Some believe that his tentative return date could be around the start of the IPL 2026 season in March.
Meanwhile, Gill is recovering from a nerve injury in his neck sustained during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata earlier this month. It was initially assumed to be an innocuous strain, but it turned out to be a bit more severe when he had to be admitted to intensive care in a Kolkata hospital.
He’s said to be targeting a return for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, which begins on December 9.
Who has replaced Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer for the 1st ODI?
It’s a big blow for India to lose them together. Since 2023, Gill has scored 2131 runs in 43 matches at an average of 56.07, and a strike rate of 99.25 in the format, the highest for India, while Iyer has contributed 1380 runs at 47.58, striking at 102.60.
India replaced them with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday. Jaiswal had been a reserve opener for the past few months and slotted in alongside Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, while Gaikwad has been rewarded for his consistency in domestic cricket.
KL Rahul is captaining the team in Gill’s absence.
India’s playing 11 against South Africa: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna
November 30, 2025, 13:33 IST
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