India squad for Australia Tour announced: Shubman Gill replaces Rohit Sharma as India ODI captain
The next ODI World Cup is a couple of years away on the calendar. But the BCCI is seeing the ICC tournament as being "just" two years away. The Indian board has set the course for a significant transition, establishing the framework to prepare the unit for the marquee tournament. If the multiple reports doing the rounds were not substantial enough, the BCCI has clarified its intention with the official announcement of the India squad for the Australia tour. The much-awaited update about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is, fortunately, a positive one, as the veterans have been named in the squad for the three-match ODI series. However, Rohit is set to play solely as a batsman, with Shubman Gill named the new India ODI captain.
🚨 India’s squad for Tour of Australia announced
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 4, 2025
Shubman Gill named #TeamIndia Captain for ODIs
The #AUSvIND bilateral series comprises three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia in October-November pic.twitter.com/l3I2LA1dBJ
Shubman Gill named India ODI captain, Ravindra Jadeja misses out: A look at the India squad for Australia Tour
The India squad for the Australia tour has been announced, and there are multiple noteworthy moves by the BCCI. Shubman Gill has been appointed India’s ODI captain for the three-match series on the tour. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer takes over as Gill’s deputy, being named the ODI vice-captain. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are confirmed to return to action. The Australia tour is set to begin on October 19 with the three-match ODI series, followed by a five-match T20I series.
Mohammed Shami has not been named in the ODI squad for the three-match series against the Kangaroos, indicating that it’s all but over for the speedster. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the ODI leg of the Australia tour. With Jadeja already retired from the shorter format, the all-rounder will miss the flight to Australia altogether.
Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector at the BCCI, explained that Jadeja still remains in India’s plans for the 50-over format, clarifying that his absence does not mean the all-rounder has been phased out of ODIs. The selection committee, however, went with Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar for the upcoming series.
“Right now, we could only take one left-arm spinner for the Australia series. It wasn’t possible to fit in two. Ravindra Jadeja is absolutely in our plans, everyone knows how good he is and what he offers as an all-rounder and a fielder," Agarkar stated in the press conference. “But for this short series, we wanted to maintain balance with Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav in the squad."
In the official announcement of the India squad, Agarkar further opened up about the board's decision to name Shubman Gill the new India ODI captain. The former Indian cricketer explained that the management is looking at the youngster as an all-format captain for India. Already the Indian Test captain, Gill rejoined the India T20I team as vice-captain ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. Now, the 26-year-old has been confirmed as the successor to Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain.
"It's practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some stage, you have to start looking at where the next World Cup will be; it's also a format that is played the least now. So you don't get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy, that much time to prepare himself or plan," Agarkar said.
"The plan was to give the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games that we have coming, and it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats, in terms of not just selectors but more importantly, even for the coach to plan with three different people is never easy," he added.
Ajit Agarkar opens up about the possibility of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing the 2027 ODI World Cup
The immediate update on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is a positive one, as the fan-favorites return to action in a much-awaited move. However, with Rohit's removal as the ODI captain, the senior’s future remains in limbo ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Agarkar refused to comment on the chances of both Kohli and Rohit playing the marquee tournament two years from now. He also specified, however, that the veterans themselves are not clear about the decision yet.
"That's the format they (Virat and Rohit) are at the moment playing, we picked them as far as the 2027 World Cup is concerned. I don't think we need to talk about it today. Obviously, with the captaincy change, that's generally the thought," Agarkar said.
“Both Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma are non committal about the 2027 World Cup,” he further revealed.
“They have been doing for years, try and score runs. They are still leaders in the dressing room. The have been extremely successful in this format. This team has been picked for Australia, you don’t need to think too far,” Agarkar added.
India squad for Australia Tour
India 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 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.
