IND v SA, 1st ODI preview: Rain likely to play spoilsport as South Africa takes on India in series opener

A young Indian squad led by an experienced veteran in Shikhar Dhawan is poised to take the field in Lucknow for the opening ODI against South Africa.

The T20 World Cup team departed for Australia in the early hours of Thursday, with just Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer on the standby list being the only players in line to face the Proteas in the three matches.

There are a number of fresh faces in the team, like Rajat Patidar, Mukesh Kumar, and others who are looking for a chance to shine on the big stage.

The match is set to be held at the beautiful Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. However, the chances of rain playing spoilsport are very high at the moment.

Preps #TeamIndia ready for the #INDvSA ODI series.  pic.twitter.com/5fY3m1a8lq

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 6, 2022

The match is set to begin at 1:30 PM, with the toss taking place at 1 PM. According to accuweather, the odds of rain during that time are 57%, which might imply a delayed start to the day.

Thunderstorms are also expected around 3 p.m., with a maximum humidity of 83%.

Rain is expected to fall at least 30% of the time throughout the game. We might be in for a rain-shortened game, which would reduce the possibilities of the young team making an impact.

India squad

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubhman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar.

South Africa squad

Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj (vc), Quinton de Kock (wk), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

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