India and South Africa are all set to square off in a three-match ODI series, starting on Sunday (November 30) in Ranchi – hometown of legendary MS Dhoni.

On the eve of the first ODI, India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul addressed a press conference, where he said the team will be "more excited" if Dhoni turns up to watch the game at the JSCA International Stadium.

"We've all played under him. We've been his fans, and we've all played together. So we are all friends, and to know someone like MS, it's a very happy opportunity to know someone as big as MS and someone who is so successful as an Indian player, and we all respect him as a human being.

"So if he also comes to watch the match, not only the crowd, we will get more excited. So, we will also enjoy playing here, and hopefully we can win the game, put up a good performance and entertain the crowd, and for MS Dhoni, he will also feel happy that we won the game," Rahul told reporters.

Rahul, who will lead India in the absence of injured Shubman Gill, confirmed his batting position at No. 6 and expressed how excited the side has been to have Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back for the ODI series.

"I will be batting in the same position. I have been playing at number six since the Champions Trophy, so I will be batting there, and obviously, there are all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy.

"We have all these options, so we will see what the best eleven is, and we will make that decision in the evening, and you will know tomorrow. Taking singles is as important as hitting boundaries in ODI cricket and in Test cricket, maybe not as much in the T20 format. That's something Virat has done so well over his career, and it's something that we've looked at Virat and tried to learn.

"Even in the dressing room, we all talked to him and Rohit about how we can get better as batsmen, and how we can rotate the strike a lot more. He's obviously the master at doing that in ODI cricket. We're really happy that he's back in the dressing room. He's very excited to be here and play these games.

"Their importance at any point is huge. To have senior players in the team obviously makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident. Just having their presence and experience helps out a lot of players in the dressing room and helps out the team. We're really happy that they're here," he explained.

India are also welcoming back the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was left out of the ODI squad in Australia last month.

"Look, Jadeja has obviously been part of the Indian team for so many years. He's done the job time and again, and we all know what he can do and what he brings to the table. I'm happy to have him back again with the ODI team. He missed out on the Australia series, but he was part of the Champions Trophy as well.

"He was key in us winning that tournament with bat and ball and in the field. He's someone who can do everything, and he's someone who's always done everything that the team has required of him. So, having him and his experience obviously is great for me as a captain or whoever is captaining. I think it's great to have players that have experience, have done it time and again," Rahul remarked.

Having suffered a humiliating 0-2 whitewash in the Test series against South Africa, the Indian team would now be looking to turn their fortunes around in the shorter formats. The three ODIs will be followed by five T20I matches between two sides.

(With IANS Inputs)