India squad announcement for Australia tour LIVE: BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will be unveiling India’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia in Ahmedabad on Saturday, 4 October – a little over two weeks before the first ODI takes place in Perth. But more than the squad composition, the focus on the Indian cricket community will be on the captain – whether the Men in Blue stick to Rohit Sharma as the skipper for the 50-over format or whether Shubman Gill succeeds him in that role as well after being named Test captain earlier this year.
Gill set to replace Rohit as India’s ODI captain
Rohit, however, is reportedly set to be included in the squad along with Virat Kohli, the two superstars having last represented the Men in Blue in the Champions Trophy in February-March. Rohit and Kohli had retired from Twenty20 Internationals after helping India win the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean last year, and had also announced their Test retirement in May. Ro-Ko, thus, have not played any competitive cricket since the 18th season of the Indian Premier League, in which Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their maiden title.
While Gill was off to a successful start as Test captain, leading India to a 2-2 draw in England earlier this summer, Rohit’s brilliance as a white-ball captain might help him retain the role even if he is nearing his retirement as a professional cricketer at 38 years of age.
India play three ODIs in Australia, with the matches taking place in Perth (19 October), Adelaide (23 October) and Sydney (25 October). That will be followed by five T20Is from 29 October to 8 November.