Gill named India's captain for Australia ODIs; Kohli, Rohit return
What's the story
Indian cricket icons Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been named in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against hosts Australia, starting October 19. The two players, who are now retired from Tests and T20Is, have not represented India since the Champions Trophy in February and March. However, there is a change in leadership with Shubman Gill replacing Rohit as the ODI skipper.
Tour details
India's tour of Australia
As mentioned, India's tour of Australia will kick off with the ODI series from October 19. The matches will be played in Perth (October 19), Adelaide (October 23), and Sydney (October 25). This will be followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8. With the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup being a few months away, this series holds great significance.
Captaincy
Change in leadership
There were several rumors regarding India's ODI captaincy ahead of the series. The selectors eventually went with Gill as the new ODI skipper. The 26-year-old is also India's designated Test captain. Notably, both Rohit and Kohli have expressed their intention to stay in the ODI setup until at least the 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa.
Missing names
Pant, Pandya to miss the series
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will miss the series as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after suffering a fractured left foot during India's England tour in July. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is another notable absentee. He was diagnosed with a left quadriceps injury during India's Asia Cup Super-4 match against Sri Lanka last month.
Squad alterations
Five changes in the ODI squad
The ODI squad for the Australia series sees five changes from the 15-member team that won the Champions Trophy in UAE. Besides Hardik and Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, and Varun Chakravarthy are missing. They have been replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meanwhile, Jurel has piped Samson for the back-up wicket-keeper's spot in the squad.
Information
Here is the ODI squad
India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (c), 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.
T20I team
Bumrah included in T20I squad
Bumrah is part of the T20I squad for the five-match series in Australia after the ODIs. The only change to this squad that won last month's Asia Cup is Hardik being replaced by Reddy. Washington Sundar has also been added, taking the total to 16 players. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the team with Gill being as his deputy.
Information
Here is the T20I squad
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.