The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to announce the squad for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia, comprising three ODIs and five T20Is. The announcement is expected to coincide with the third day of India’s ongoing Test against the West Indies. All eyes are on the potential comeback of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the ODI squad.

Return of the Veterans

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, having retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup and stepping away from Test cricket earlier this year, are likely to make their return to the ODI format. Their last appearance for India was in the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Their return is anticipated to bring experience, firepower, and leadership to the team. Rohit Sharma is expected to continue as the ODI captain. There appears to be no compelling reason to remove him from the leadership position, given his strong record in the format.

Workload Management and Injuries

Selectors are expected to consider workload management for players like Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah, who have been continuously playing since the Asia Cup. Gill, who is currently the Test captain, might be rested for either the ODI or T20I series. Hardik Pandya is expected to miss the ODI series due to a quadriceps injury he sustained during the Asia Cup. Rishabh Pant is also likely to miss the tour as he recovers from a foot fracture.

Possible Squad Composition

The likely ODI squad may include Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Nitish Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna. Shreyas Iyer is expected to make a comeback to the ODI series after being left out of the Asia Cup squad. Sanju Samson could also make his ODI comeback after more than a year. With Hardik Pandya injured, Shivam Dube or Nitish Kumar Reddy could be included in both the ODI and T20I squads. Selectors may also consider Abhishek Sharma or Yashasvi Jaiswal as options to open alongside Rohit Sharma.

Series Schedule

The ODI series will begin on October 19 in Perth, followed by matches on October 23 in Adelaide, and October 25 in Sydney. The T20I series will commence on October 29 and conclude on November 8.

The series is considered important as it will test how selectors handle seniority, workload, and leadership, especially with the 2027 World Cup in mind.