3 players who should be given a chance in the ODI series against South Africa 

After the shocking ODI series defeat at the hands of hosts New Zealand, India's next ODI assignment will be the three-match series against South Africa. The Indian team was without a few key players and that certainly reflected in the team's performance. In absence of these regulars, fringe players got a chance to cement their place in the side. However, they failed to do so and are expected to be axed from the side.

There still are a few players who have been doing exceedingly well in the domestic and India A tournaments and deserve a call-up to the national side.

Here are 3 players who should be given a chance in the ODI series against South Africa:

#3 K Gowtham

K Gowtham

K Gowtham has proved his prowess as an all-rounder in the last few domestic seasons. While he has been extremely effective with his street-smart off-spin bowling, Gowtham has contributed regularly with the bat too. He has the ability to hit the ball long and can score quick runs in the death overs. Also, Gowtham will provide variation to the Indian bowling-attack that is currently dominated by leg-spinners and left-arm spinners. If he can do well in the ODI series, he can be in contention for a place in the T20 side as well.

#2 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has been around for quite some time now. The Mumbai batsman had two consecutive successful IPL seasons for Mumbai Indians. The most fascinating part of Yadav's batting is his high strike-rate. He can score runs rapidly and has displayed his ability to attack both spin as well as fast bowling with authority. With Kedar Jadhav likely to be dropped and Hardik Pandya still crawling his way back after his injury, Yadav can be used as a finisher in the ODI side.

Also see – IPL 2020 time table

#1 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill

One of the major reasons for India's lackluster performance in the ODI series against New Zealand was the poor performance by the openers. Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw failed to grab the opportunity presented to them in the absence of regular openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and might be left out of the squad against South Africa. One name that pops up to replace these players is Shubman Gill. Gill has impressed one and all with his strokeplay and technique. The Punjab batsman has been waiting in the wings for too long and a lot of senior players have advocated for his inclusion in the ODI side. Will the selectors unleash Gill? Only time will tell.