Shubman Gill has been appointed captain of the Indian ODI team in place of Rohit Sharma, while Shreyas Iyer will be the vice-captain of the team in ODIs. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the ODI and T20 squads for the Australia tour. The ODI series between India and Australia will be played from October 19. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, made a major decision on the team’s captaincy on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma will now play as a full-time batter on the Australia tour. Star batter Virat Kohli has also been selected for the tour. The Indian ODI squad has been announced for the three-match series against Australia. There have been five changes to India’s ODI squad. Mohammed Siraj returns after August 2024, Prasidh Krishna after September 2023, and Yashasvi Jaiswal after January 2025. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel are part of India’s ODI squad for the first time.
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Australia Tour Schedule
India’s tour of Australia begins with the first ODI on October 19th. The next two matches of the series will be played on October 23rd and 25th. This will be followed by a five-match T20 series from October 29th to November 8th. Shubman Gill will feature in both ODIs and T20Is.
After Tests, Shubman will now lead the ODI team
Rohit and Kohli last played for India in the Champions Trophy final. Both players have retired from T20 Internationals and Tests and now play only in ODIs. However, the team will now play under Gill’s captaincy instead of Rohit’s. It’s worth noting that Gill was given the captaincy of the red-ball format after Rohit’s retirement from Test cricket.
India won the Champions Trophy under Rohit’s captaincy
Rohit has an excellent record as an ODI captain. Under his captaincy, the team defeated New Zealand to win the Champions Trophy this year. Under Rohit’s leadership, the team won 10 consecutive matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup and reached the final. However, the team lost to Australia in the final match, missing out on the title.
Virat’s Return, Shreyas’s Promotion
Kohli has been included in the team selected for the Australia tour. Kohli will be playing for India for the first time since the Champions Trophy final in March. Fans of Rohit and Kohli will be excited to see them in the Indian jersey once again. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has been promoted and appointed vice-captain of the ODI team. Shreyas is a key player in the ODI team and will now also be seen in a leadership role.
Why was Gill given the captaincy?
Rohit’s fans were quite surprised by the decision to hand Gill the captaincy for the Australia tour. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar held a press conference after the team announcement and explained the reasons behind Gill’s appointment. When asked about appointing Shubman Gill as captain in place of Rohit Sharma, Agarkar stated that Gill’s captaincy was not solely for the 2027 ODI World Cup, but rather for the long term. Agarkar’s statement clearly indicates that the Indian team has begun working on a World Cup strategy and will enter the global tournament under Gill’s leadership. Agarkar, however, dismissed reports claiming that this series could be Rohit and Kohli’s last.
Hardik, Pant and Bumrah Excluded
Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah have been excluded from the ODI and T20 squads for the Australia series. Hardik sustained an injury before the Asia Cup final, which is why he has been excluded from both the ODI and T20 squads. Agarkar provided an update on Hardik’s fitness, stating that Hardik is not fully fit, which is why he hasn’t been selected for the Australia tour.
Rishabh Pant, who was injured during the Test series against England, also hasn’t made the squad for the tour due to fitness issues. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who is playing in the two-match Test series against the West Indies, has been rested for the ODI series and selected for the T20I series. Shubman Gill becomes the captain of Team India’s ODI team, taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
Mohammed Siraj has returned to the Indian ODI Team
Mohammed Siraj last played an ODI for India during the Sri Lanka tour in August 2024. He was subsequently dropped. He was not selected for the Champions Trophy in February-March. Mohammed Shami was played then. Now he has been shown the door, and Siraj has been brought back.
When did Prasidh Krishna last play an ODI?
Krishna played his last ODI for India in September 2023 during the three-match series against Australia. Since then, he has been unable to fit in the Indian ODI squad due to various reasons. Now, Bumrah has been rested for the Australia tour. This will give Prasidh a chance to cement his place in this format.
Jaiswal made his ODI debut in January 2025
Yashasvi Jaiswal made his ODI debut for India in the series against England in February 2025. He had been a contender for selection in this format for quite some time. But he was always left out. Now he has been selected for the Australia tour. It remains to be seen if he gets a chance to play.
Why Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel got a chance in ODIs
Nitish Kumar Reddy, after T20 Internationals and Tests, has now been included in India’s ODI squad. He replaces Hardik Pandya, who is out due to injury. He suffered the injury during the Asia Cup. Dhruv Jurel also made his first appearance in India’s ODI team. He has been named as the second keeper due to Rishabh Pant’s injury. He recently scored a century in the Ahmedabad Test against the West Indies.
India’s ODI Squad for the Australia Tour
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.