3 players who could make their ODI debut in the India vs South Africa 2021 series

After a defeat in the Johannesburg Test, India will continue their tour of South Africa and play the final match of the ICC World Test Championship series from January 11 to 15 at Newlands.

Following the ICC World Test Championship series, India and South Africa will battle in an ICC Cricket World Cup Super League series from January 19 to 23. Paarl will play host to the first two one-dayers while the final game will take place at Newlands in Cape Town.

Fans expect the India vs South Africa ODI series to be a cracker of a contest. KL Rahul will make his ODI captaincy debut and the following three names can start their ODI careers in the series.

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#1 Venkatesh Iyer - India

Venkatesh Iyer made his T20I debut against the New Zealand cricket team last year.

All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer could make his ODI debut for the Men in Blue in the upcoming series against South Africa. Iyer started his international career last year against the New Zealand team at home. He played three T20Is, scoring 36 runs and picking up one wicket.

The selectors see Venkatesh Iyer as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, who has taken a break from the sport to work on his fitness. Iyer has a good record in List-A cricket, with 1,228 runs and 19 wickets to his name in 30 appearances.

Iyer's batting strike rate in List-A cricket is 107.43 while his highest score is 198. It should not be a surprise if KL Rahul picks him in the playing XI for the ODI series opener in Paarl on January 19.

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#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad - India

Ruturaj Gaikwad is another Indian player who has already made his T20I debut but is yet to play an ODI match for the country. The right-handed batter, though, has been selected in the Indian ODI squad for the upcoming series against the Proteas.

Gaikwad is in the form of his life right now, having scored heaps of runs in IPL 2021 and the 2021/22 domestic season. The Chennai Super Kings have also retained him ahead of the 2022 IPL 2022 mega auction.

However, it is unlikely that Gaikwad will get a chance to make his ODI debut in the first match. Captain KL Rahul and another senior player Shikhar Dhawan will probably open for the visitors in the first game. Gaikwad could get a game later in the series.

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#3 Marco Jansen - South Africa

Marco Jansen received his maiden ODI call-up to the South African squad for the series against India. He made his Test debut in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against India.

The left-arm seamer has picked up 12 wickets and scored 53 runs in the two matches played so far. Given that Indian batters struggle against left-arm fast bowlers, Marco Jansen should make his ODI debut on January 19.

It will be interesting to see how the three new players perform for their respective teams in the India vs. South Africa ODI series.