Although Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future in ODIs is up for debate, they are scheduled to travel to Australia for the three ODIs that begin in Perth on October 19 even though national selectors will have to make some changes to the Indian squad due to workload management or fitness concerns.
On Saturday, the third day of the current first Test match against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, the selectors are probably going to get together to choose the teams. However, the squad announcement is still unclear.
Test captain Shubman Gill, who participated in the Asia Cup and will play in a two-Test series in three days, will also need to take care of his body since Hardik Pandya (quadriceps injury) and Rishabh Pant (foot fracture) will not be available.
The selectors may wisely request that he take a break from either ODIs, T20Is, or both.
Following a seven-month hiatus from international cricket following the Champions Trophy victory in March, Rohit and Kohli have been putting in a lot of effort.
Rohit overcame his bad form with a game-winning performance against New Zealand in the final, while Kohli produced a century against Pakistan and led the scoring in the semi-final match against Australia.
Additionally, Rohit has barely failed in this format, so there is no reason to remove him from his leadership position unless he wishes to focus on his batting.
Both are now solely single format players and have retired from Test and T20I cricket, raising questions over their longevity leading up to the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa.
However, according to BCCI sources, a firm decision may not be made quickly because there are just nine ODIs this season—six home matches at the end of the year and three away matches against Australia.
The T20 World Cup at home early next year and earning as many WTC points as possible from the four home Test matches in 2025 are currently the top priorities.
The official promotional teaser that broadcasters Jio Hotstar produced for the ODI series with photos of the two white ball icons may have given away that Kohli and Rohit would be in the squad.
Since eight games—including five Twenty20 Internationals—will be played over the course of 19 days, there may be some permutations and combinations at work. With the exception of Gold Coast to Brisbane, it also includes at least seven internal flights.
The T20I series concludes on November 8, and India’s first Test match against South Africa begins on November 14 in Kolkata.
Bumrah must play in both Test matches against World Champions South Africa, regardless of whether the player and the medical staff want to skip the Delhi match against the West Indies. However, Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the selection, clarified that he has committed to playing in both of the matches against the West Indies.
But after playing in the Asia Cup and now two Test matches, followed by a three-week break before another challenging Test assignment and a T20I series leading up to the T20 World Cup, it makes sense to give Bumrah a rest from both of the white ball series in Australia, which involves a lot of travel.
Gill’s fatigue should also be taken into consideration if the Test match at the Ferozshah Kotla goes the full distance, until October 14.
Gill is now the ODI team’s vice-captain. But with so many international matches to choose from and little time to prepare, the national selectors would also like to consider Gill’s travel and workload.
Between the second and third ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney, the Indian team has just one day off, which turns into a travel day.
Likewise, a day separates the first and second Twenty20 Internationals and the fourth and fifth T20Is.
One of the two left-handers, Abhishek Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, will be selected as Rohit’s opening partner if Gill is rested for the ODIs.
For this reason alone, Abhishek has been asked to participate in two List A matches against Australia A. His current form and left-arm spin bowling put him at par with Jaiswal.
Nitish Kumar Reddy appears to be a plausible alternative if Pandya doesn’t get unfit during the current Test series, as he is unlikely to be fit for the ODIs. Shivam Dube is an alternative, although there is no evidence of his ability to bowl in Australian conditions.
Given that KL Rahul is expected to don the big gloves once more in the 50-over format, Sanju Samson, who has a strike-rate of almost 100 and an average of 55+ across 14 ODIs, may possibly unseat Dhruv Jurel for the second wicketkeeper position.
