Hardik returns as India take on In-form South Africa

By Mumbai Indians | 11 Mar, 2020

Quinton’s South African side are high on confidence. They have landed in India after beating the Aussies 3-0 back home. On the contrary, India return home after losing the ODI series 0-3 before they were whitewashed in the longest format.

Gearing up for ODI 1️⃣ #TeamIndia #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/lqS9dDEWwX
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 11, 2020

Here are five talking points ahead of the first ODI:

Hardik Pandya set to return

Hardik Pandya is all set to make a return to the Indian colours after a gap of almost six months due to his back surgery. The star all-rounder has redeemed his fitness now with a spectacular run at the DY Patil T20 Cup where he scored two centuries and ended up as the highest wicket-taker.

HP is back 🇮🇳#OneFamily @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/gPpJ3m5buq
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 8, 2020

A fruitful DY Patil T20 Cup for our boys! 👏🏻

Are you excited to see them all together in the MI Blue and Gold? 🤩#OneFamily @surya_14kumar @iamanmolpreet28 @adu97 @rdchahar1 pic.twitter.com/ZNdbhcvMVO
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 10, 2020

Under pressure Faf du Plessis back in the mix

Former skipper Faf du Plessis who recently stepped down from captaincy will be taking part in his first ODI series since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup. His form in the traditional format has been a worry with a string of low scores against England. Can he prove his mettle in India?

It has been the greatest honour of my life to lead my country. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/QVRrvQGLmO pic.twitter.com/d5qH9pQJ9d
— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) February 17, 2020

Virat Kohli looks to end season on a high after poor NZ tour

Alongside being at the receiving end of whitewashes in ODIs and Tests in New Zealand, Virat Kohli, the batsman also had a horrid tour. With an average of 19.82 in eleven games across formats, Kohli couldn’t do anything significant with the bat. The Indian skipper would look to gain form.

Virat Kohli's last 5️⃣ scores in international cricket:
3, 19, 2, 9, 15#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/0LUY5cJwwJ
— ICC (@ICC) February 29, 2020

Opener, wicket-keeper, captain - Quinton ready for big test

Quinton de Kock has been successfully juggling between these three roles in the recent past. With consistency across all formats, the Proteas skipper will be looking to continue the same against his favourite opponents. Quinton managed only 41 runs in South Africa’s 3-0 triumph but the dashing left-hander will be hoping to get back to scoring big ahead of the IPL

Tests ✅
ODIs ✅
T20Is ✅@QuinnyDeKock69 topped the batting charts in all three formats for 🇿🇦 against 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in 2020 👌#OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #SAvENG pic.twitter.com/IHkvFYdYNM
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 18, 2020

Bhuvneshwar Kumar back to partner Bumrah

Out of action since the last three months due to a groin injury, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be raring to step back into the field. With Shami rested, Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be expected to handle the mantle with the new ball.