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Is Ruturaj Gaikwad set for an India comeback? Ahead of the 1st ODI, KL Rahul has dropped a major hint about India’s playing XI for the series opener against South Africa. His update has sparked fresh speculation over team combination, selection calls, and Gaikwad’s possible return to the top order.
 "general Ruturaj Gaikwad set for India comeback? KL Rahul drops big hint on India's playing XI for 1st ODI vs South Africa")
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Star player Ruturaj Gaikwad is making his comeback to the national team in the 50-over format after a two-year hiatus. According to India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul, the young talent could be part of India’s playing XI for this series. Rahul, who is stepping up to lead the team in the absence of Shubman Gill, stated that Gaikwad is an exceptional player who has excelled in every opportunity he has received so far, and he is keen to provide him with more chances in this series.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad is a phenomenal player. The dynamics of our ODI top 5-6 are such that it is very settled. But he has done well in whatever limited opportunities he has had. Looking forward to giving him the opportunity in this series,” Rahul told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
Gaikwad earned a spot in India’s ODI team following his outstanding performances in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 and during the three-match unofficial one-day series against South Africa A.
During the pre-match press conference, he was questioned about Rishabh Pant’s potential participation in the first match. While he did not disclose much regarding Pant’s status in the playing XI, he mentioned that Pant could be considered for the wicketkeeper role as well.
“For Rishabh, he is good enough to play as a specialist batter, but we will see tomorrow. Of course, if he is playing, he will take the gloves, but we will see that tomorrow,” he said.
In the ICC Champions Trophy and the ODI series against Australia, Rahul batted at the No.6 position when Axar Patel was included in the playing XI. However, with Axar not participating in this series, Rahul confirmed that he will continue to bat at the No.6 spot.
“I will be batting at 6; that’s what I have been batting,” he concluded.
India squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C),Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar
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