Team India received a major boost ahead of the India–South Africa ODI series as Virat Kohli arrived in Ranchi on Tuesday. The star batter landed at the Birsa Munda Airport, where he received a warm reception from former India cricketer and current JKCA secretary Saurabh Tiwary.
Kohli, appearing calm and cheerful, acknowledged waiting fans and walked out amid heightened security arrangements. His arrival has already kicked off excitement in MS Dhoni’s hometown, which will host the first ODI on November 30 at the JSCA International Stadium.
Series Overview
With regular ODI captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer both out due to injuries, KL Rahul will lead India for this three-match series. After the Ranchi opener, the teams will move to Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6 for the next two ODIs.
Kohli’s Recent Form
Kohli enters the series after a strong performance in Sydney last month, scoring an unbeaten 74 off 81 balls in India’s dominant win against Australia. The veteran also recently faced a rare low phase, having registered back-to-back ducks for the first time in his career.
With 14,255 runs and 51 centuries in 305 ODIs, he remains India’s most experienced batter and will be crucial in guiding a team missing two senior players.
Training to Begin Soon
The Indian squad is expected to start training shortly after Kohli’s arrival. Ranchi is preparing for a packed stadium as fans eagerly await the return of top-level cricket in Dhoni’s city.
India Squad for South Africa ODIs
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.
