With the break over after the England tour, it’s non-stop cricket for Team India. But for the fans, the biggest treat would be India’s tour of Australia for a white-ball series. India will play 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is. This will be India’s first ODI assignment since the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year. Hence, it will also be a rare opportunity for fans to see the return of two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in ODIs. While ODI is not in focus at the moment, the India squad for Australia series could see some experimentation with Sanju Samson likely to come in as a backup keeper. The India vs Australia T20I series will have a full-strength squad.
The new BCCI selection committee will pick the squad this weekend or early next week. The team will leave for Australia on October 15. The 1st ODI is on October 19 in Perth. The final T20I will take place on November 8 in Brisbane.
The Rohit-Kohli question
There have been a lot of speculations regarding Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future after the two retired from T20I and Test cricket. With the ODI World Cup in 2027, there is a considerable time. Even though both superstars have expressed their desire to play the next ODI World Cup, selectors would want to take a slow and steady approach. As things stand, both Rohit and Virat are set to play in the IND vs AUS ODI series.
There have been no discussions regarding their future in ODIs just yet. But the selectors are expected to discuss their future sometime this year. It’s not because of their form. Instead, it is to chalk out a plan for the ODI World Cup. At the moment, Rohit Sharma is still the captain of India ODI side. And a section of the BCCI wants Shubman Gill to be made the ODI captain. However, the BCCI doesn’t want to remove Rohit Sharma as the captain after winning two consecutive ICC trophies. They want Rohit to take the call. The selection meeting will be crucial to understand where they stand on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
If form deserts Rohit Sharma completely in ODIs, the selectors could contemplate a change in guard as soon as the New Zealand series in January. Before that, it is unlikely that Rohit will be removed unless the India ODI captain steps down himself, reading the room. He is training regularly ahead of the IND vs AUS ODI series. Things are different with Virat Kohli. He could continue as long as he delivers his A game. With a long break from competitive cricket, both could be rusty.
Sanju Samson as backup keeper?
While the selectors could experiment with the ODI squad, it is unlikely that they would make drastic changes. The only possible change could be of the backup wicketkeeper. With Rishabh Pant set to miss the entire Australia tour, India would need a backup keeper. KL Rahul will continue to be India’s glovesman in ODIs.
Despite his Asia Cup struggles, Sanju Samson could be the backup keeper. There is also an option in Dhruv Jurel. But at the moment, Samson gets the vote of confidence. Since his century in South Africa back in December 2023, Samson has not played the 50-over format, despite averaging 56.66. He has three fifties and a century in 14 ODI innings. However, in a packed ODI team, Samson hasn’t found a place. He is unlikely to find a place in the India Playing XI for the three ODIs in Australia. But he could be the backup keeper.
What about Jaiswal and Bumrah?
With Jasprit Bumrah making himself available for the two-match Test series against West Indies, he is unlikely to feature in the first ODI if he is not rested. There is a high chance that Bumrah could be rested from the IND vs AUS three-match ODI series. But if he is picked, he could play the last two ODIs after a brief rest.
At the top, selectors would be eager to experiment, especially with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-hander has only played an ODI. But considering Shubman Gill will also be playing the five-match T20I series, he could be rested for Jaiswal in the ODIs.
There is also a concern regarding Hardik Pandya’s fitness. Hardik missed the Asia Cup final with a quadriceps injury. He is currently recovering and the timeline of his return could force him to miss the ODI series. Selectors will take a call on his T20I inclusion based on reports from the BCCI sports science team. If Hardik doesn’t make it, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube will compete for the spot.
Otherwise, India squad for the Australia ODIs could be similar to the Champions Trophy, barring Mohammed Shami. Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana will compete for a spot. Mohd Siraj is likely to make a comeback to the ODI setup after missing the CT 2025.
After his exploits in the Asia Cup, there are speculations about Abhishek Sharma as well. However, with Yashavi Jaiswal ahead of him in the pecking order, it is unlikely that Abhishek will find a place.
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