India vs South Africa Highlights: Bavuma, vd Dussen shine in 31-run win in 1st ODI; SA take 1-0 lead in 3-match series

The players have lined up for the national anthems. India's first followed by South Africa's

So far, the two sides have played 84 ODIs.

IND wins- 35

SA wins- 46

NR-3

The hosts have lost 3 of their last 5 matches. They lost 2 out of 3 in Sri Lanka. Against Ireland, South Africa won and lost a game each

India have won three of their last 5 ODIs. Won 2 out of 3 against Sri Lanka in July 2021. Before that, they won the final 2 ODIs at home against England

INDIA: KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock(w), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma(c), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi

"Would've wanted to bat first. We're always ready to do both things. Looks a little bit dry. Have some quality spinners in our attack. With Bumrah and Bhuvi starting, hopefully they'll get a couple early with the swing. Venkatesh Iyer debuting, Shreyas Iyer to bat at four. Last couple of days and right after Tests there was a lot going on. Emotional for the team. Lot of us have debuted under Virat. Obviously he's still with us and integral part of the team. Just want to try out few things in terms of tactics and strategies. Personnel will not change much. Want to give them a good run. Expermentation doesn't mean we'll go in and start hitting from ball one."

"Wicket looks a bit dry. Would like to make use of the best of the batting conditions. Hopefully it slows up and the slower bowlers can get in the game. Hard to get away from the high of the Tests. But will have to focus on today, different format, have to ensure our basics are in touch. Opportunity for us as a one-day team to get our game in order. Have got a standard team. Marco comes in, obviously we don't have KG available. Two spinners.

South Africa have won the toss and opted to bat

Much has happened behind the scenes. Time to focus on the game now and get off to a good start.

"Under Virat, team India have done some phenomenal things. We've won series outside India, something that hasn't been done before. We've gone to every country and won a series. He has done a lot of things right and set a standard for all of us and team India. As a team, and for me, it's all about building on that. We obviously know what it takes to be a champion team. We've got to keep improving and stay as disciplined and as determined as that, and go out and enjoy our cricket. Virat had this amazing ability to get the best out of everybody. He pushed everybody and made us believe that we could do special things. That's something that I've learned from him and hopefully I can do that with the team as well." - KL Rahul 

"Quinton and Janneman have done fairly well so I don't see that changing. I come back into the picture at No.3. Then it's the middle order - whether we want to go with an extra batter or an allrounder at No. 6. That's the real conversation that needs to happen." - Temba Bavuma 

Here is our Predicted XI:

Kl Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Quinton de Kock, Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

20 minutes to go for the toss. Which side and captain do you think the coin will favou

It is for certain that Venkatesh Iyer will be making his debut today. What a past few months he's had. From shining bright in the second half of IPL 2021 to making his T20I debut and then amassing more runs in the domestic circuit. 

All eyes will be on Team India's combination. It's a star-studded squad and it will be interesting to see who makes the final playing XI.

Listen to KL Rahul as he previews India's preparations ahead of the ODI series against South Africa.

While the 71st century will obviously remain the focus as Kohli returns to ODIs, the former Indian captain will also look to surpass India legends Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly for a big record in the first match of the series. READ

There will be selection headaches for the team management ahead of the first ODI. While Rahul had confirmed in the pre-match press conference that he would be opening the innings, the toss-up will likely take place in the middle-order as Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav eye no.4 spot.

Who gets the nod? READ HERE

The toss in the first ODI takes place at 1:30 PM IST, with the match starting after another 30 minutes. The match takes place at the Boland Park in Paarl.

This is India's first ODI appearance since Virat Kohli was succeeded as full-time captain of the limited-overs side by Rohit Sharma. While Rohit remains absent from the tour due to fitness issues, KL Rahul leads the side with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah his deputy.

India's long wait for a return to ODIs ends today. The side played its last ODI in July 23, when a majority of first-team players were absent due to their Test commitments in England. India had won the ODI series 2-1. 

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of first ODI between India and South Africa in Paarl. The KL Rahul-led Indian team will be aiming to make a winning start after a disappointing 1-2 Test series loss to the Proteas last week.