India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul on Tuesday (January 18) cleared the air regarding his batting spot in the ODI series against South Africa, saying he will open the innings for the team.

Rahul had replaced Rohit Sharma as skipper for the three-match ODI series after the latter was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

The 50-over series is due to get underway on January 19 at Boland Park in Paarl.

"Yes, in the last 14-15 months, I have batted at number four-five, at different positions and you know that is what the team needed from me. Now, with Rohit not being here, I would bat at the top of the order," said Rahul during a virtual press conference on the eve of the first ODI.

When asked about his captaincy, Rahul said: "I think I take every game as it comes. I am not really someone who gets worried or gets too happy. I stay balanced with the results, there were a lot of learnings from the Johannesburg Test. I have learned a lot from both MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, I am human, I will make mistakes along the way but I will learn and get better. That's where my mind is at. The ODI series is a fresh start and it is a great opportunity for me to lead the side."

There are a lot of expectations from all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who impressed one and all with his exploits in the debut T20I series against New Zealand last November.

Talking about Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul said: "Yes, Venkatesh Iyer has been very exciting since he has played for KKR and done really well there and he joined us for the T20I series against New Zealand. He did really well there, fast-bowling all-rounders are always an asset. We are always looking for fast-bowling all-rounders. They balance the team out really well. It is a great opportunity for him to do well in South Africa."

Rahul gave a diplomatic answer when enquired whether the visitors could play the first ODI with two spinners.

"Every venue is different, the Paarl pitch does look like that it could offer more to spinners than it did in the Test series. We have quality spinners, Ashwin has come back into the team and we know what quality he brings. Chahal has been doing well, hence they become really important for us," he said.

India’s ODI Squad:

KL Rahul (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

(With ANI inputs)