The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian cricket team’s squads for the upcoming tour of Australia, which begins on October 19. The itinerary includes a series of One‑Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the Australian side, with the first ODI scheduled in Perth and the final T20I set for Brisbane on November 8.
In a surprising move, the selectors have replaced Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill as the ODI captain. This decision has raised eyebrows, given Sharma’s impressive record—he led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy without losing a single game. Veteran players Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill will return to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy, while Shreyas Iyer has been named vice‑captain for the series. Suryakumar Yadav will continue as T20I captain, with Gill serving as his deputy.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been omitted from the ODI squad due to workload‑management concerns, and Hardik Pandya missed selection because of a fitness issue. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been added to the squad in Pandya’s place. The ODI squad consists of Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The T20I squad includes Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh.
The selections have sparked debate among fans on social media. Some have expressed disappointment at Rohit Sharma’s removal from the ODI captaincy, while others have criticized the omission of certain talented players from the tour. Nonetheless, the series is expected to be closely contested, with both sides aiming to assert dominance in the ODI and T20I formats. India will be looking to bounce back from recent performances and make a strong statement ahead of future international tournaments.
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