Sitanshu Kotak to oversee Indian squad for ODI series; Rahul Dravid to focus on red-ball series preparation - Reports

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid will not be in charge for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. The responsibility of the team has been handed to Sitanshu Kotak and several other National Cricket Academy (NCA) staff, while Dravid and his coaching staff will oversee the three-day match in Pretoria from December 20 to 22 ahead of the Test series.

The three-day fixture will be the second unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A and could feature some members from the Test squad, to get them acclimatized to the conditions as well as the format.

The ODI series, on the other hand, will begin from Sunday, December 17 onwards. KL Rahul will lead the Indian team in the absence of some senior members. The Men in Blue were whitewashed 3-0 during their previous tour of South Africa in 2022, coincidentally it was Rahul leading the side during that instance as well.

Kotak has served as the batting coach as part of VVS Laxman's coaching staff. Apart from the duo, Sairaj Bahutule also marked his presence as the bowling coach, during the times Dravid was unavailable or present with the first team on a different assignment.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, Kotak will be assisted by Ajay Ratra (batting coach) and Rajib Dutta (bowling coach) for the three-match ODI series.

Dravid's decision to skip the ODI series and focus on the unofficial Test showcases the importance being placed on the upcoming Test series, beginning on December 26. Team India are yet to win a Test series in South Africa, but have come close in their last two attempts.

The Test series against the Proteas marks the Men in Blue's second away series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. India won their opening series against the West Indies and will play three consecutive home series in 2024, beginning with a five-match affair against England.

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The last group of Indian players set to reach Johannesburg on Friday night; Shami all but ruled out

Several members from the ODI squad are a part of the Test squad as well, but there is a set of players who have solely been selected for the red-ball matches, including skipper Rohit Sharma.

The last group of players, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, and Harshit Rana have reportedly left for South Africa and will reach on Friday night.

Mohammed Shami is not part of the set of players that have left for South Africa. The right-arm pacer is dealing with an injury that effectively rules him out of the Test series.

Team India do have options among their ranks to fill the void and complete the pace unit which currently comprises Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and potentially even Shardul Thakur.

Will Rohit Sharma and company finally win a Test series in South Africa? Let us know what you think.