India vs South Africa 2021: "Reduce the Tummy" - Fans advise Rohit Sharma after he misses South Africa ODI series in January due to fitness issues

Rohit Sharma, the newly appointed white-ball skipper, will miss the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. He is yet to achieve optimum fitness levels after missing the ongoing Test series due to an injury. After consulting with the NCA and Rohit Sharma about his fitness, the BCCI announced the Indian squad for the ODI series against South Africa.

Rohit Sharma's Test match opening partner, KL Rahul, will lead Team India in his absence. Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah will serve as Rahul's deputy during the series.

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got a call-back after a long hiatus from ODI cricket. He will handle the spin department with Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar on this tour. Left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were unavailable for selection due to fitness concerns.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer gave impressive performances in the 2021 IPL and Vijay Hazare trophy. Hence, they received a well-deserved call-up to the ODI squad. It will be interesting to see who joins Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order in the upcoming series. KL Rahul will be the prime candidate to fill Rohit Sharma's shoes alongside Dhawan.

KL Rahul has been successful in ODI's at number 5 over the past year. He has added some experience and solidity to the middle-order after MS Dhoni called time on his legendary career. If KL Rahul decides to remain in the number 5 position, CSK batter Ruturaj Gaikwad might earn an opportunity to open the innings.

18-man Indian ODI Squad for the 3-match series against South Africa

KL Rahul (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Y Chahal, R Ashwin, W Sundar, J Bumrah (VC), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj

Twitter reacts after Rohit Sharma missed the South Africa ODI series due to fitness concerns

Fans were happy to welcome the newcomers gleefully and were excited to see Jasprit Bumrah in a new role as vice-captain. However, most were disappointed to see Rohit Sharma miss the tour as it was his first after appointment as full-time white-ball captain. They brutally trolled him for not improving his fitness and lent him some bits of advice on Twitter.

About the author

Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

Know More

"Reduce the Tummy" - Fans urge Rohit Sharma after he misses SA ODI's due to a fitness issue

18-man Indian ODI Squad for the 3-match series against South Africa

Twitter reacts after Rohit Sharma missed the South Africa ODI series due to fitness concerns