IND vs SA 2022: 3 ways in which India's middle order could shape up during the South Africa ODI series

Team India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa might not have much experience, but what the Men in Blue have in excess are openers.

Very few specialist middle-order batters are part of the squad, which featured maiden call-ups for Mukesh Kumar and Rajat Patidar while also keeping fringe names like Rahul Tripathi and Shahbaz Ahmed in the mix.

Shubman Gill and stand-in captain Shikhar Dhawan are all set to open the batting for India, having done so with great success against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. The middle order, on the other hand, could see several players batting out of position. Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan are practically guaranteed to play somewhere in the middle order, but what about the other positions?

Here are three ways in which India's middle order (No. 3 to No. 6) could shape up during the ODI series against South Africa.

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#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan

England & India Net Sessions

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a part of India's ODI squad for a while now, but he hasn't got a game. The youngster has a stellar List A record with an average of 54.11 and a strike rate of 99.58 across 66 matches and could welcome the opportunity to turn out for the national team in his favorite format.

Since he's an opener, one among the plethora India have picked, Gaikwad could slot in at No. 3, with Shreyas and Co. moving one position down. The Maharashtra-born batter has batted at the position recently for India 'A' as well.

Both Kishan and Samson will look out of place at No. 6, though, so this approach might not be the best way forward. What it would guarantee, however, is a long-awaited ODI debut for Gaikwad and six frontline batters to keep the pressure on the South African bowling attack.

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#2 Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Shahbaz Ahmed

Northamptonshire v India - T20 Tour Match

India have experienced the pitfalls of playing with just five bowlers on multiple occasions now, and they might not want to go down that route again. The Men in Blue could opt to give themselves some balance by playing the only spin-bowling all-rounder in the side, Shahbaz Ahmed.

If Shahbaz plays, the top six will wear a familiar look. He will slot in at No. 6, with Shreyas and Kishan rounding off the top four. Samson, who will be granted a license to play his shots at No. 5, will also be utilized effectively.

However, will India want to hand Shahbaz a debut immediately? He hasn't been part of the national setup for a long time and his four overs went for 31 runs in the List A game he played for India 'A' against New Zealand 'A' last month. Is he good enough to bat at No. 6 in ODI cricket?

It's possible that India will want a third spinner in Shahbaz, so it's a tough toss-up between this combination and the one that follows.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi

Northamptonshire v India - T20 Tour Match

Rahul Tripathi hasn't done much to merit an ODI call-up, but he received one against Zimbabwe and finds himself in the 50-over squad against South Africa as well. Yet to make his India debut, the dashing right-hander had scores of 31 and 18 in the two List A games he played last month.

Surprisingly, Tripathi rolled his arm over in both games and even picked up a wicket in the second. He's probably not capable of bowling on a consistent basis at the ODI level, but a few overs could be all India need from a potential sixth bowling option.

By dropping Shahbaz and playing both Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, India could bolster their bowling department while not worrying too much about their batting. Tripathi is more than capable of batting at No. 6, and he would add some more firepower to a lower-middle order that consists of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur.