The first ODI between India and South Africa has been pushed by half-an-hour due to a rain delay. The toss will take place at 1:30PM, while the match starts at 2PM. The official Twitter account of the BCCI provided an update on the same.
“Rain delay! After an early inspection, the Toss and Match Time for the #INDvSA Lucknow ODI has been pushed by half an hour. The Toss will be at 1:30 PM IST. Play begins at 2:00 PM IST,” wrote the BCCI.
Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who has already flown to Australia alongside the other members of the side for the T20 World Cup. A host of first-teamers including Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others will also be missing the series.
{{/usCountry}}Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who has already flown to Australia alongside the other members of the side for the T20 World Cup. A host of first-teamers including Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others will also be missing the series.
{{/usCountry}}However, Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravi Bishnoi, who are a part of the standby list for the T20 World Cup, will take part in the ODI series. The first match takes place in Lucknow.
Earlier, the Indian team, led by Rohit, left for Australia on Thursday morning for the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting from October 16. The tournament proper begins on October 22 with India beginning its campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan a day later.
The side has traveled with a 14-member squad as Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the marquee tournament with a back injury. A replacement will be announced in the next few days.
The inaugural champions in the 2007 edition, India have since failed to lift the coveted title and will be aiming to improve on its performance from the previous year's World Cup, where the side was knocked out in the group stage.
Team India was able to generate some momentum before the World Cup, winning the bilateral series against Australia and South Africa.