Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain, has been named the captain of the ODI side for the upcoming Australia tour, marking a significant shift in Indian cricket following his elevation as Test skipper earlier this year after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from red-ball cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads on Saturday, September 4, through chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, shortly after India’s win over West Indies in the first Test at Ahmedabad.
Shreyas Iyer has been appointed vice-captain of the ODI squad, though he will not feature in the T20I team.
India are scheduled to play three ODIs in Australia starting October 19 in Perth, followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 in Canberra.
Shubman Gill had previously served as vice-captain of India’s Champions Trophy-winning ODI squad, which was led by Rohit Sharma. Rohit returns to the ODI setup as a player, while Virat Kohli also makes a comeback after stepping away from T20Is and Tests.
Agarkar confirmed that Rohit was informed about the decision to remove him as ODI captain, despite leading India to the Champions Trophy title.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the three ODIs but will play all five T20Is, keeping next year’s World Cup in mind.
Among notable absentees are all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pandya is sidelined due to an injury sustained against Sri Lanka, while Pant is recovering from a fractured foot. Jadeja was dropped to make way for Axar Patel as India’s lead spin-bowling all-rounder. Washington Sundar and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal return to the ODI squad. Agarkar clarified that Rohit will open alongside Gill, with Jaiswal serving as backup.
Hardik Pandya has been replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy in both ODI and T20I squads. With Pant injured, KL Rahul will take over wicketkeeping duties in the ODIs. Dhruv Jurel has been selected as the backup wicketkeeper, preferred over Sanju Samson due to his suitability for the middle order in 50-over cricket.
The T20I squad remains largely unchanged from the Asia Cup-winning team.
India ODI squad for Australia tour:
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
India T20I squad for Australia tour:
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