 "Will Rohit Sharma remain India’s ODI captain or not is the next big question for BCCI. Image: Reuters")
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set for some crunch talks with ODI Rohit Sharma regarding the leadership of the Indian cricket team in the 50-over side as they get ready to announce the squad for the Australia tour on Saturday (4 October) . India are scheduled to play a three-match ODI series down under, followed by a five-game T20I series.
Rohit and Virat Kohli, who have retired from the other two formats, are expected to make a return to the ODI side for the Australia tour. Their last international assignment was the Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March. However, the focus will be on ODI captaincy.
BCCI, Rohit to hold talks on ODI captaincy
The BCCI selectors may wish to move on from Rohit, who is already 38. And as per Cricbuzz, they are set to hold talks with him directly. Rohit recently cleared the fitness test BCCI centre of excellence in Bengaluru and should get selected at least as a player.
In case, Rohit is not picked as a captain, Shubman Gill or Shreyas Iyer could be named as India’s ODI captain. Multiple reports have made various claims, with some stating that BCCI wants Gill to be the next all-format captain, while a major newspaper said that Iyer would be the next captain in the ODIs.
The uncertainty will only end when the final squad is announced on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer to make T20I comeback?
Meanwhile, Iyer is another player who is expected to gain a lot of interest in the selection meeting. Having played a crucial role in the Champions Trophy, Iyer is set to be retained in the ODI squad, but he can also make a comeback in the T20I squad.
Iyer was not picked for the Asia Cup 2025 as he lost out to Gill, but BCCI now has an option to pick more than 15 players for a bilateral series, and the selectors may add Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal to the squad for the shortest format.