NEW DELHI: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday ahead of the opening ODI against South Africa, scheduled for November 30 at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium.

India, led by KL Rahul, will take on the Proteas in a three-match ODI series, with the subsequent games slated for Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6.

Kohli heads into the series fresh off a vintage performance in the third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground last month, where he delighted fans with a trademark masterclass reminiscent of his finest knocks.

In that one-sided contest, Rohit Sharma stole the show with a commanding unbeaten 121 off 125 balls, while Kohli provided steady support with a fluent 74* off 81 deliveries. Together, the duo made light work of the 237-run chase, powering India to a dominant nine-wicket victory.

Rahul will step in as captain with India missing their regular ODI skipper, Shubman Gill, who picked up a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata and is currently undergoing further evaluation in Mumbai.

The team will also be without vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, sidelined after suffering a spleen injury while taking a sensational catch to dismiss Alex Carey in the third ODI against Australia in Sydney. Iyer landed awkwardly on his left side, ruling him out of the series.

With both Gill and Iyer unavailable, the leadership duties have fallen to KL Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batter brings a solid ODI record to the role, having amassed 3,092 runs in 88 matches at an impressive average of 48.31 and a strike rate of 88.41.