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Shreyas Iyer's injury has thrown India's middle-order plans into a fix heading into the IND vs SA ODI series. With KL Rahul expected to hold onto his No.6 spot, the Men in Blue have as many as three contenders for the vacant position. Ruturaj Gaikwad's strong show in the India A series has earned him a recall with the left-hand duo of Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma also in the mix.

While Gaikwad and Varma have had relatively nascent international careers, the same cannot be said of Pant. Vice-captain in Tests, he was in contention to lead in the ODI series before the selectors opted to continue with KL Rahul. Pant also keeps wickets, which would mean Rahul will take up fielding duties should the 28-year-old play.

Pant is India's trailblazer in red-ball cricket, but his talents have not translated into the white ball game. The left-hander has been out of India's 50-over scheme for a variety of reasons -KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer's consistency, his life-threatening accident and then his own poor form.

When Pant smashed the 125* vs England in 2022, he seemed to have turned a corner in the format. However, he missed the next 18 months due to injury and scored 6 in his only ODI appearance since then. His overall career numbers are borderline average, an average of 33 after 27 innings.

Pant, however, offers India a dynamism that it severely lacks. Indianise a right-hand heavy batting order, with Axar Patel and now possibly Washington Sundar being promoted higher up. Rishabh's presence would negate the need, allowing Rahul to bat at 5 and take more time before teeing off.

Pant's competition: Gaikwad or Tilak?

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma both played the India A ODI series with contrasting results. Gaikwad excelled, opening the batting with a century in the first game. He finished as top scorer in the series, with 210 runs at a strike rate of 86.78. Varma, meanwhile, batted at 4, often playing the anchor. In three games, the left-hander scored 39 (58), 29 (62) and 11 (23).

Gaikwad batted in the nets with Virat Kohli, suggesting he was in contention for the middle order spot. In the shoot-out between Tilak and Pant, Varma's part-time spin could also be a deciding factor. Coach Gautam Gambhir is a fan of multi-faceted players, and Varma chipped in with 11 overs across 3 India A games.