Hardik Pandya's eagerly-awaited international comeback adds a lot of context to India's three-match ODI campaign against South Africa starting today where the hosts would be aiming to put the 'New Zealand nightmare' behind them. Amid the ever-rising danger of Coronavirus and threat of rain once again playing spoilsport, Pandya's all-round flamboyance will keep skipper Virat Kohli in a good headspace as he would be desperately trying to forget the 0-3 mauling in the last series in New Zealand. Pandya last played an ODI against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final in Manchester and his last international game was a T20I against the Proteas in Bangalore in September last year.

He forced his way back into the national team with his all-round performances at the DY Patil Corporate Cup, where he looked completely fit and ready to go. Skipper Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri has spoken openly about ODIs being least of priority in a T20 World Cup year. But his men can ill-afford to lose another series against an inexperienced South African side which is buoyed after crushing Australia 3-0 in their own den. Especially having lost five international games (two Tests included) on trot, the Indian skipper, enduring one of his rarest of rare bad patches in last six years will be keen to buck the trend.