Stand-in Captain KL Rahul ruled out of the T20 series against South Africa, Rishabh Pant to lead the team

India will lock horns with South Africa for the five-match T20I series, which will start on Thursday, June 9. Both teams have started their preparations. Speaking about the Indian set-up, the BCCI has given rest to their senior players after a two-month long IPL season. A few new faces have been given the chance after their good performance in the TATA IPL 2022.

However, on the eve of the first T20I, India suffered a major blow, as stand-in captain KL Rahul has been ruled out of the T20 series against South Africa. According to reports, the right-hander has a side strain that will take time to heal, and as a result, he has been ruled out.

Now, the wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant, has been named the captain of the team and will lead the side in the five-match series. So it will be interesting to see how it goes with the team's performance. Notably, one other player has been ruled out of the squad. 

The left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, also suffered an injury during the practise session. As per some media reports, the spinner is the second player to be ruled out.

The first match will start at 7 pm at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi. So far, no replacement has been announced, and it remains to be seen whether BCCI will do so.The Men in Blue are on the verge of making a huge milestone as they have won their last 12 T20I matches.

And if they wins the first T20I match against South Africa, they will become the only team to win 13 matches. So the first match is very important for the team. And in the absence of senior playerr and Rahul has also been ruled out it will be a big task for the Pant and his men.