India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI: Rinku Singh or Rajat Patidar set for ODI debut as India aims to clinch series

livemint.com:

India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI: Team India pacers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan entered the world of One Day International (ODI) cricket with a bang as the 'dangerous' South African batters collapsed against the two young seamers. KL Rahul-led young Team India won the first ODI with 8 wickets and will look to seal the series on Tuesday. As KL Rahul looks to recover from the scars of a 0-3 series defeat in 2022, the second ODI will also see one new face as Rajat Patidar or Rinku Singh are preparing for their ODI debut.

Shreyas Iyer has decided to link up with India's Test squad, which opens one position for the reserve batters. The spot is expected to be filled by someone between Rajat Patidar or Rinku Singh and that's a tough choice as both batters have impressed with their explosive skills. Rinku Singh has been a 2023 star when it comes to T20 cricket and has been phenomenal in both against Australia and South Africa.

During the second T20 against South Africa, Rinku Singh slammed an unbeaten 68 showing his capabilities as a batter who is not just explosive but also understands the temperament of the game and plays accordingly. Unlike some players, Rinku Singh seems to have the potential to play extremely well in both T20 and ODI cricket. Rajat Patidar has comparatively less light than Rinku Singh but, he can get the spot as he is a number 4 player and Patidar replacing Shreyas Iyer seems more practical from that lens.

There is another possibility where both Rinku Singh and Rajat Patidar can get a place in the playing XI, but Tilak Varma will have to step out. The ODI series poses a significant challenge for South Africa, especially post Quinton de Kock's era. De Kock's dynamic batting at the beginning of the innings