South Africa vs India 2018: 5 players who need to prove themselves on the ODI leg

India will be playing 6 ODIs and 3 T20s in South Africa starting from February 1st, and will be looking to avenge their Test series loss to the Proteas. The team will look to win both the series and take home some silverware.

India has an abundance of talent and a number of players are knocking at the door of the team. The captain has been giving some experienced players a long rope, and he would hope that they perform in this series and get a permanent place in the squad.

#5) Kedar Jadhav

Jadhav will be making a comeback

Kedar Jadhav made his debut for the Indian team in 2014 but he hasn't yet been able to secure a spot in the team. He played the role of a finisher in the team and has been reasonably successful.

The 32-year-old has a decent record in ODIs, scoring 797 runs in 37 matches at an impressive average of 42. He has two centuries and three half-centuries to his name.

Jadhav scored his first century in Zimbabwe when India had sent a second string team to face the side. He got his next opportunity only in 2016 in the New Zealand series where he performed decently. He began 2017 by scoring a century against the England team and had a great series against them scoring another 90 in the final match of the series.

Jadhav though has had a poor 2017 since then, scoring just 329 runs in 15 innings at an average of 29. He had missed a great opportunity to secure his spot last year and now has to contend a number of young players who are knocking the doors. He may get one or two games to get back his form and he has to use it to the best of his abilities to get back to the Indian team.

#4) Manish Pandey

Pandey would look to have a good series

Manish Pandey came into the spotlight with a century in IPL against the Deccan Chargers in 2009. He was the first Indian to score a century in IPL. He made his debut in the Indian team in 2015 against Zimbabwe where he scored 71 runs.

The Karnataka batsman made his debut for the Indian team in 2015 and since then has played in 22 matches and has scored 432 runs at an average of 39. He scored his first century against Australia in an exciting run chase where India had chased a target of 331 thanks to his 104 of just 81 balls, but his dream run came to an end with that series.

He has had a poor run since the Australian series, scoring just 251 runs in 14 Innings at a poor average of 25.

His dip in form can largely be attributed to the fact that he was used by Dhoni as a number 4 batsman whereas Kohli preferred to use him as a finisher. He now has to get back his form and try to be India's permanent number 4.

#3) Shreyas Iyer

Iyer would want his good run to continue

Shreyas Iyer is a talent who was spotted at a very young age. He has the ability to play both the waiting game as well as the aggressive game. He has scored a huge amount of runs in Ranji trophy and has been extremely consistent for the Mumbai team, and it is this consistency that had earned him an Indian call-up.

The Mumbai lad made his debut in the Indian team against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala in 2017. He didn't have a great first match, as he was bowled for just 9 on a swinging wicket. He then scored his first half-century in international cricket in the 2nd match of the series scoring 88 of just 70 balls to take his side to victory. He finished off the series with another fifty.

Iyer's performance in the Sri Lanka series has earned him a spot for the South Africa series and he has to score in this series to prove that he is not a one series wonder. A good performance overseas would also give his captain the confidence that he can play anywhere.

He was asked to play at the number 3 slot in the Sri Lanka series as India was playing without Virat Kohli. In South Africa, he would be batting at the number 4 slot and it would be interesting to see as to how he adapts to that position.

#2) Dinesh Karthik

Karthik would look to cement his spot

Dinesh Karthik made his debut in the Indian team in 2004 ahead of Dhoni. Dhoni has gone on to captain the Indian team, while Karthik remained India's perennial underdog.

The wicketkeeper-batsman has a lacklustre record in international cricket, scoring 1496 runs in 79 matches at an average of 30 and a highest score of just 79. This record is in no way indicative of his abilities.

The Tamil Nadu lad is amongst the most talented batsmen in India. His record is perhaps reflective of the fact that he has immense talent, but lacks application.

Karthik has repeatedly made comebacks to the Indian team on the back of some impressive domestic performances, but when it comes to International cricket he has always been below average

The 33-year-old was last part of a World Cup squad in 2007 which was a disastrous one for India. India have two slots which are vacant, and he would be looking to secure a spot in the batting order for the 2019 World Cup.

#1) Suresh Raina

India v South Africa - ICC Twenty20 World Cup Warm Up

Suresh Raina was a regular member of the ODI team till 2015. He has been a part of the 2011 and 2015 World Cup squads, and had played an important role in India winning the title in 2011 and in reaching the semifinals in 2015.

Raina has an impressive ODI record scoring 5568 runs in 223 matches at an average of 35. He formed a potent combination with Dhoni and played the role of a finisher to perfection. His poor run started after the 2015 World Cup. He scored just 180 runs in 8 matches at a poor average of 23 before he was dropped later in that year

The 31-year-old has made a comeback for the T20 leg of the South African tour. He has often been criticised for being unable to play the short ball, and success in South Africa would be the ideal answer to that criticism.