In a move pointing towards the future, the BCCI has appointed Shubman Gill as the new captain of India's ODI team, replacing Rohit Sharma ahead of the three-match series in Australia starting October 19. While Rohit has been relieved of his leadership duties in the 50-over format, both he and Virat Kohli have been included in the squad, marking their return to the ODI setup for the first time since the Champions Trophy final in March.
The 15-man squad announced features several key changes, with, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel having earned his maiden ODI call-up in the absence of the injured Rishabh Pant, serving as a backup to KL Rahul. Pacer Mohammed Siraj makes a comeback to the side after being left out of the Champions Trophy squad. The selectors have opted to rest pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, with the latter recovering from a quadriceps injury.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that the decision to appoint Gill, as captain was made with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. The selection committee believes it is a necessary step to provide the new leader with enough time to build a team for the global event. Agarkar acknowledged Rohit's successful tenure but emphasized the need to plan for the future, making it clear that the vision is set with the World Cup in mind.
The inclusion of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli comes with the message that their future in the team will be performance-dependent. Agarkar mentioned that while the duo is part of the plans, the focus is shifting. The selectors have also left out all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, with Agarkar stating that they preferred not to take two left-arm spinners to Australia, though Jadeja remains in their considerations for the future.
This series will be India's first ODI assignment since their victorious Champions Trophy campaign. The tour begins in Perth on October 19, followed by matches in Adelaide on October 23 and Sydney on October 25.
India ODI squad for Australia series:
Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel(wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India's T20I squad for Australia series:
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 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.