3 player battles to watch out for in India vs South Africa ODI series ft. Shreyas Iyer vs Tabraiz Shamsi

After an entertaining T20I series where both India and South Africa shared the honours, the two sides will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, set to begin with the first game at Johannesburg on Sunday, December 17.

Both teams made it to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup, with the Men in Blue going a step further and making it to the summit clash. The rebuild for the next World Cup cycle is likely on the horizon, and hence several experienced players have been rested from the white-ball leg from both teams with the Test series set to begin from December 26.

This could give opportunities to some fresh faces from both sides to have an impact and make a case for themselves in the ODI format. However, here are three key player battles that could decide the fate of the series:

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#3 KL Rahul vs Keshav Maharaj

Stand-in skipper KL Rahul has made it clear that he would be batting in the middle order in the series and that means he could play a majority of the overs against the South African spinners. Keshav Maharaj may not get as much turn from the pitch as he probably got in India during the 2023 World Cup, but he is deservedly at the summit of the ODI rankings among bowlers.

Maharaj can be more than a handful with his variations and will also get extra bounce from the surface. It will be interesting to see how Rahul handles Maharaj's skills while also maintaining the tempo of India's middle overs.

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#2 Heinrich Klaasen vs Yuzvendra Chahal

Heinrich Klaasen's form over the past 12 months has been nothing short of extraordinary, having made his reputation as one of the finest hitters of spin bowling going around. Over the years, one of his intriguing player battles has been against veteran Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

In T20I cricket, Klaasen has smashed 80 runs off just 34 balls against Chahal. However, it is almost even-stevens in ODIs as Klaasen has scored 34 off 34 balls and has been dismissed once by the leg-spinner. Chahal will be motivated to do well after being left out of India's World Cup squad and how he controls Klaasen could go a long way in deciding the series' result.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer vs Tabraiz Shamsi

Alongside KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer is another experienced Indian batter who will hold the key to his team's chances in the ODI series. Another quality player of spin, Iyer has already gone up against Tabraiz Shamsi and has a decent record against the left-arm wrist-spinner.

Iyer has scored 68 runs off 56 balls against Shamsi in ODIs and has also been dismissed once by the star spinner. Both are brave characters, not willing to bog down, and that is what makes this match-up a cracking one.