The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squads for the upcoming tour of Australia. In a big decision, Shubman Gill has been named captain of the ODI team, replacing Rohit Sharma, while Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as vice-captain for the ODIs. The India-Australia ODI series will begin on October 19. The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, made the call on Saturday. Rohit Sharma will now feature only as a full-time batter on this tour, while star batsman Virat Kohli has also been included in the squad.
Schedule of the Australia Tour
India’s tour of Australia will begin with the first ODI on October 19, followed by the remaining two ODIs on October 23 and 25. After this, a five-match T20I series will be played from October 29 to November 8.
Gill takes charge after Tests
Rohit and Kohli last played for India in the Champions Trophy final. Both have retired from T20 internationals and Test cricket and now only play ODIs. With Rohit stepping aside from leadership duties, Gill will now captain the side. Notably, Gill was also given the Test captaincy after Rohit’s retirement from the longer format.
Rohit’s captaincy record
Rohit Sharma’s record as ODI captain has been outstanding. Under his leadership, India won the Champions Trophy earlier this year by defeating New Zealand. He also guided the team to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, winning 10 matches in a row before losing to Australia in the title clash.
Kohli returns, Shreyas gets promoted
Virat Kohli, who last played in the Champions Trophy final in March, makes his much-awaited return to the national side. Fans are excited to see him back in the Indian jersey. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has been promoted as ODI vice-captain, a reward for his consistency and growing role in the team.
Why Gill as captain?
The decision to hand over the ODI captaincy to Gill surprised many fans of Rohit Sharma. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained during a press conference that the move was not just about preparing for the 2027 World Cup but also part of a long-term plan. He clarified that reports suggesting this would be Rohit and Kohli’s final series are not true.
Hardik, Pant, and Bumrah left out
Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah are not part of the ODI squad for the Australia series. Hardik, who was injured before the Asia Cup final, has not fully recovered and was not considered for either ODIs or T20Is. Pant, who suffered an injury during the England Test series, is also unavailable due to fitness concerns. Bumrah, currently featuring in the two-match Test series against West Indies, has been rested from the ODIs but will return for the T20I series.
India’s Squad for Australia Tour
India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar