Virat Kohli has come to India for the ODI series against South Africa. Kohli reached Mumbai from London on Tuesday, where many videos of him leaving the airport are going viral. Seeing Kohli, a gathering of fans gathered at the airport, everyone started taking his photos. He looked like a hero in brown check shirt and black glasses.

When Virat Kohli reached the airport on Tuesday, he was in no hurry. When he had sat in his car, one of the paparazzi requested him for a photo. Then Kohli got down from his car and came back down and got photographs taken with 2-3 people one by one.

The moment he returned felt like spring after a long winter. The air was lighter, the sun warmer, as if the world itself sighed in relief. Birds sang louder, trees stood taller or maybe it was just me, seeing everything brighter because he was back. pic.twitter.com/Vxxo9nby09

— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) November 25, 2025

India vs South Africa ODI series will start from 30th November. The first match will be played at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi. Kohli had earlier played an ODI series in Australia, where he was out for a ‘duck’ in the first 2 out of 3 matches. He scored a half-century in the third match.

Virat Kohli returned from London to Mumbai on November 25, 2025, to join the Indian team for the ODI series against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin on November 30. He was seen at the Mumbai airport, where he interacted with the paparazzi. pic.twitter.com/vxgXoKe3ca

— Deepak Pandey (@deepboy1701) November 25, 2025

Fans are eager to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Ranchi.

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be seen in the ODI series against South Africa. Both have retired from T20 and Test formats. The first ODI is in Ranchi, where the fans are very eager to see Kohli-Rohit.

Ranchi, Jharkhand: On the sale of tickets for One Day International match between India and South Africa, One of the fans says, ‘We have been in the queue since morning and now just want to get the ticket at any cost. We are big fans of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I don’t know… pic.twitter.com/5i0XcZ8VC3

— IANS (@ians_india) November 25, 2025

India-South Africa ODI series 2025 schedule

• First ODI match- 30 November- Ranchi
• Second ODI match- 3 December- Raipur
• Third ODI match- 6 December- Visakhapatnam.

Now about 10 days are left for the start of India vs South Africa 3 match ODI series. BCCI has not announced the squad yet, while there is doubt over the playing of captain Shubman Gill. Gill was retired hurt in the Kolkata Test, there is news about him that he has been ruled out of the Guwahati Test also. Now the big question is that if Gill is out of the ODI series, then who will captain in his place? Because vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will also not be a part of this series.

Shubman Gill suffered neck pain in the first Test against South Africa, after which he had to be taken to the hospital. He did not return to the field again, India lost this test by 30 runs. It is reported that Gill has been ruled out of the second Test as well, although he reached Guwahati with the team on Wednesday. It is also considered difficult for him to play in the ODI series. Whereas the vice-captain of the ODI team, Shreyas Iyer is already away from cricket due to injury.

Who will be the captain?

There is every possibility that former captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be part of the ODI team against South Africa. Although the chances of him assuming the captaincy in Gill’s absence are slim. The names of the two contenders that are coming in right now are Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

KL Rahul kept wicket in the Champions Trophy, he strengthens the team’s batting in the middle order. He has also captained in 12 One Day International matches, out of which Team India won 8 matches and lost 4.

Rishabh Pant has captained the T20 International and IPL team, but he has not captained the ODI International. Because of this, there is a high possibility that if Shubman Gill is out of the ODI series, then KL Rahul can take over the command.

India vs South Africa ODI series schedule

• 30 November- JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi – 1:30 pm onwards
• December 3- Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur – 1:30 pm onwards
• 6 December- ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam – 1:30 pm onwards.

Now less than 2 weeks are left for the India vs South Africa ODI series to start. BCCI may soon announce ODI and T20 squad. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play at home after a long time, about which fans are curious. Both played ODI series on Australia tour, they have retired from Test and T20. Shreyas Iyer, who was injured in Australia, will not be a part of this series, so know who can take his place. The return of Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant is also possible.

Hardik Pandya did not go to Australia due to injury, but the news is that now he is completely fit. In such a situation, he may return in the ODI and T20 series against South Africa. Rishabh Pant, who was injured during the England tour, can also make a comeback. He has returned to international cricket, he is also a part of the Test series.

Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill open the innings in ODI, Gill was injured in the first test against South Africa but the news about him is that his neck pain is now fine and he has been discharged from the hospital. Virat Kohli bats at number three and Shreyas Iyer, who will be out due to injury, at number four. In such a situation, the question is who will take his place. Rishabh Pant can be a good option in place of Iyer at number four.

It will be interesting to see whether Jasprit Bumrah remains a part of the ODI series, because he is playing in the Test series against South Africa. Looking at his workload management, it can be assumed that even if he does not play in the ODI series, he can make a comeback in T20.

India’s squad against South Africa (probable)

Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.

India vs South Africa ODI series

• 30th November- 1:30 pm (Ranchi)
• December 3 – 1:30 pm (Raipur)
• 6 December – 1:30 pm (Vishakhapatnam)