Ahead of the first India-South Africa ODI, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim opined that Tilak Varma is the "right player" to replace injured Shreyas Iyer at number four. "Then you have a very solid top order with Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and number three Virat Kohli," he said. Karim added, "I see no place for Rishabh Pant at this stage."