Watch: Virat Kohli All Smiles On Arrival In Ranchi For IND vs SA 1st ODI At JSCA Cricket Stadium

Virat Kohli has reached Ranchi to begin preparations for India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30 at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium. He was captyured coming out of the airport with a wide smile on his face. Kohli comes into the series on the back of a fluent unbeaten 74 off 81 balls in the third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where India chased down 237 for a dominant nine-wicket win anchored by Rohit Sharma’s 121 not out.

The veteran batter remains a giant of the format, with 14,255 runs in 305 ODIs, making him the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history and the holder of the record for most centuries with 51.​

Virat Kohli to play under KL Rahul

KL Rahul will captain India in this South Africa series as Gill undergoes medical assessment in Mumbai for a neck injury sustained during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata. India will also be without vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who is recovering from a spleen injury suffered while taking a catch to dismiss Alex Carey in that same ODI in Sydney.​

Notably, Rahul has a brief experience of captaining the Indian team, having led the side in all three formats.  Rahul has captained India in a total of twelve ODI matches so far and has eight victories and four defeats.The 33-year-old Rahul has captained India to series victories vs Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Australia Interestingly, his first match as India's ODI captain was also against South Africa during the 2022 tour.

Rahul brings a solid body of work to his leadership role, having scored 3,092 runs in 88 ODIs at an average of 48.31 and a strike rate of 88.41. His experience in the middle order and flexibility as a wicketkeeper-batter are expected to be key as India look to balance results against South Africa with longer-term planning for future ODI tournaments.