Rohit, Kohli set to be included for Australia ODIs, India to unveil squads for white-ball tour on Saturday

Batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are all set to make their return to international cricket in the ODI leg of the tour of Australia that gets underway later this month, the squad for which will be unveiled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday.

The two batting greats had last donned the blue jersey during the Champions Trophy in February and March, in which Rohit led the Men in Blue to a second consecutive ICC title. Kohli and Rohit would then go their separate ways in the Indian Premier League, with the former helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their maiden title in May.

The Ro-Ko pair has not played any form of competitive cricket since the 18th season of the IPL, both having retired from Twenty20 Internationals in June last year and from Test cricket in May with their international appearances limited to the 50-over format going forward.

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According to Cricbuzz, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to retain several members of the Champions Trophy-winning squad, which means senior middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is also likely to make his international return after seven months along with Rohit and Kohli.

Will Rohit be retained as ODI skipper? 

The focus of BCCI’s announcement, however, will be on the captain of the squad – whether Rohit continues to lead the side or whether the board names Test skipper Shubman Gill as his successor in the 50-over format as well or not.

Both Rohit and Kohli have indicated their desire to remain part of the ODI setup till the 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa in the twilight of their career, and were in excellent form with the bat during the Champions Trophy.

Kohli scored a match-winning century against Pakistan as well as crucial 84 in the semi-final against Australia while Rohit starred in the final against New Zealand with an aggressive 76 that earned him the Player of the Match award.

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However, it remains to be seen if the BCCI is on the same page with the two icons, and keep them in their plans for the next World Cup.

Iyer and Jaiswal in T20I squad? 

It also remains to be seen if the selectors bring explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who was the leading run-scorer in the Asia Cup last month, into the ODI setup, and whether Iyer and Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal find a place in the T20I squad – which will be announced along with that for the 50-over leg of the tour.

The ODI series against Australia gets underway in Perth on 19 October, with Adelaide and Sydney hosting the next two matches on 23 and 25 October respectively.

The five-match series will then take place between 29 October and 8 November, with matches taking place in Canberra (29 October), Melbourne (31 October), Hobart (2 November), Gold Coast (6 November) and Brisbane (8 November) respectively.