Deepak Chahar's ankle injury will complicate India's selection in the second T20 against South Africa.
Digital Desk: Deepak Chahar's absence due to an ankle injury complicates matters, as India seeks a much-improved bowling performance in a must-win second ODI against South Africa on Sunday.
Never before has a bilateral ODI series appeared so out of place, especially with the T20 World Cup starting later this month in Australia.
All eyes are now on Rohit Sharma and his teammates, who have already arrived in Perth for their T20 World Cup warm-up matches.
The three-match One-Day International series in India provides little encouragement to the fringe players who did not make the flight to Australia.
With Chahar injuring his ankle ahead of the first ODI in Lucknow and his back troubling him again, India will have a lot to think about on Sunday.
Mohammad Siraj and Avesh Khan have yet to impress, which could pave the way for uncapped Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar.
On the batting front, Shreyas Iyer will need to get some runs under his belt as the top-order batter is one of the reserve batters for the T20 World Cup.
Iyer, who has been named series vice-captain, saved India from a top-order collapse on Thursday. Iyer played a counter-attacking knock despite his weakness against short balls and slow strike rate against pacers.
The performance of Sanju Samson, who has yet to secure his place in the team seven years after his debut, was the biggest positive point for India in the second ODI.
In India's narrow loss, Samson's 63-ball 86 radiates maturity and provided a feeling of security in the middle-order as he took calculated risks.
Shikhar Dhawan has already demonstrated his leadership potential with a second stride in the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Dhawan will be hoping to return among the runs to give the team a solid start, while Shubman Gill will be looking to reaffirm his credentials as an ODI opener.
Unlike India, Temba Bavuma's South Africa have a lot to play for, with crucial Super League points on the line that will guarantee them a spot in next year's ODI World Cup.
Bavuma is now experiencing the worst phase of his career, as proven by his scores of 0, 0, 3 (T20s), and 8 in the series at Lucknow.
The Proteas captain will try to regain his form as soon as possible because the T20 World Cup begins in two weeks.
With an undefeated century in Guwahati and 75 not out in the most recent game, David Miller has established himself as the antagonist for India in this series. The lefthander will look to carry on his strong play.
The pace assault, lead by Kagiso Rabada, which received criticism in the previous T20 series, appears to be back on track.
Playing Team (from) India: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Kumar, Rajat Patidar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Rahul Tripathi.
Playing Team of South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje and Andile Phehlukwayo.
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