India’s T20I, ODI Squads for Australia: Reactions after Ajit Agarkar explained why they picked Shubman Gill over Rohit Sharma as ODI captain

Agarkar on Sanju Samson’s ODI chances

It’s more (due to) position (that he’s not in the squad). I mean, Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order. I think when he got a hundred, I think he batted number three, if I’m not wrong. Jurel usually bats low down the order. KL bats there as well. You’ve seen how good a player Dhruv is. So again, you’re looking at spots. I don’t think there’s room at the top again. So we’re looking at guys who can fit in those spots. And obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there and we’re trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else.

Ajit Agarkar on what are the expectations from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli now 

I mean, what they’ve been doing for years, try and score runs. I don’t think that changes. You’re still playing for your country. They are still leaders in that dressing room but eventually it’s the runs and they’ve scored tons of them, both of them, and been extremely successful in this format. So we hope they keep doing it and you don’t have to think too far at this point. The team is picked for Australia and we need them to score runs like they have been throughout their career. Those are two really experienced guys who’ve been around for a long time. So they would perhaps find it a little bit alien just to play one format, which is played the least, but they’re probably the guys to answer that. And we’ll find out a bit more when we see them in Australia playing. There’s no doubt about their quality as players. Whether not playing a lot of cricket makes a difference: One, you should ask them and we’ll find out when they play, but it doesn’t happen too many times. And even if it happens, a lot of the guys these days end up playing either test cricket or T20, which obviously in terms of matches is a lot more than one day cricket. So whether it’s a challenge or not, we’ll find out and they probably will be better equipped to answer.

Agarkar on how difficult was the call to move on from Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, especially after India won the Champions Trophy in their last ODI game, played under Rohit Sharma's captaincy: 

Even if he had not won the Champions Trophy, it would have been a difficult decision because of how good he’s been for India. But you’ve got to sometimes look at what’s coming forward, where you stand as a team, and eventually look at what’s in the best interest of the team, whether it’s now or maybe six months later. Those are the calls that I suppose we are put in place to make. And like I said, it’s tough with one-day cricket at this point because if you’re going to make that call, you want to try and make it reasonably early and give the other guy enough chance to try and get that confidence of leading another format. So that was the idea, but it’s always tough. And someone who’s been very successful, you have to make that decision.

Ajit Agarkar on Hardik Pandya’s injury

Yeah, at the moment, he’s not going to be fit for Australia because of the injury that he picked up just before the finals in Asia Cup. We’ll know in due course how long he’s going to be out at this point. In a week’s time, he’s supposed to be there at the COE. And once he starts his rehab, we’ll probably get better timelines. But for Australia, he’s definitely not available.

Agarkar on Jasprit Bumrah’s workload

Yeah, we’ve already rested him for the one-day games (in Australia). I mean, when we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, there was what, a month and a half or close to that, five weeks or something since that Manchester test that he played. Wherever you can give him a break, you will, because we all know how important he is. But we’ve also got to see what’s in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he’s always available. So, but we will look after, not just him. Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who, you know, who do play Test cricket, who will end up having a lot of bowling to do. So we try and manage all the seamers so that you minimize the risk of injuries.

Agarkar on Rohit and Virat’s fitness

They’ve both done whatever the fitness tests or the fitness norms that have been suggested. As far as I know or the selectors know, they’ve gone through the required norms that have been put in place. Yeah, so I haven’t heard anything other than that. And generally before selection, we give names out to the COE, who tells us about the fitness status of all the players and who’s been picked has been declared fit and available.

Agarkar on why Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma were not picked for ODIs

At the moment, Rohit and Gill are likely to open. There’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, you know, people tend to forget how good he is as well. And Tilak’s very close. Again, we’ve taken a 15-man squad. It’s a three-match series. It’s not like a test series where you can carry a few extra which you might need. You may not end up needing more than those. And you’re not going to make too many changes in three games that you play. It’s a short series. We’ve got a few more one days coming after that. We’ll see how we can try and rotate players. But they’re both excellent players and putting up their case. But at this point, there’s no real place here.

Agarkar on whether there is a concern around Gill suffering burnout

He’s still quite young. Look, I mean, we saw what he did in England under immense pressure. So there were really positive signs there. You’ve seen his record in one-day cricket as a batter. We hope there’s no burnout. It is true there’s a lot of cricket coming thick and fast over the next few months in particular. Him particularly, but the team management as well, we’ll try and manage it as best as we can. But you also want to, like I said, give the guy enough time to try and prepare going into that next World Cup, which is 24 months away, but may not be that many games. So you want to give him the best possible chance.

Former India chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth has slammed the decision to overlook Sanju Samson as the back-up wicket-keeper in the 15-member ODI squad picked for the tour to Australia, starting October 19.

With Rishabh Pant out injured, Samson was in contention as cover for lead wicket-keeper KL Rahul. However, the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar snubbed the Kerala batter and instead roped in Dhruv Jurel, handing him his maiden ODI call-up for the three-match series that begins in Perth in a fortnight.

Interestingly, Samson had recorded a century in his last ODI outing in a series decider in South Africa in late 2023 before being omitted from subsequent series.

READ MORE

Agarkar on Jasprit Bumrah’s workload

Yeah, we’ve already rested him for the one-day games (in Australia). I mean, when we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, there was what, a month and a half or close to that, five weeks or something since that Manchester test that he played. Wherever you can give him a break, you will, because we all know how important he is. But we’ve also got to see what’s in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he’s always available. So, but we will look after, not just him. Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who, you know, who do play Test cricket, who will end up having a lot of bowling to do. So we try and manage all the seamers so that you minimize the risk of injuries.

Agarkar on Shubman Gill’s elevation to captaincy

It’s practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some stage, you’ve got to start looking at where the next World Cup is. It’s also a format that is played the least now. So you don’t get that many games to actually give the next guy that much time to prepare himself or plan. And we’re two years away still. That might look like a long time. But we don’t quite know how many one-day games we might play. Closer to the World Cup, we might end up playing a little bit more than what we have. But the last one-day game we played was in March at the Champions Trophy. And the next one we play is in October 19. So it is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket at the moment. Of course, the focus has been on T20 World Cup. But surely we’ll start planning for that World Cup to come. And it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats in terms of not just selectors, but more importantly, even for the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy.

Agarkar on Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja’s future in ODIs

I mean, that’s the format they are at the moment playing (Virat and Rohit). We picked them, but as far as 2027 World Cup is concerned. I don’t think we need to talk about it today. Obviously, with the captaincy change, that’s generally the thought. With regards to Jaddu, I mean, look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He’s clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is. But there will be some competition for places. Of course, he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there. At the moment, we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi and Kuldeep there as well. And I don’t think we’re going to need more than that in Australia with spin. But he’s clearly in the scheme of things, Jaddu, with how good he is, what he offers us as a batter and a bowler, but particularly in the field as well. It’s a short series. You can’t accommodate everyone. And unfortunately, at the moment, he’s missing out. But it’s nothing more than that.

Shubman Gill is pretty clear: He has his eyes on the 2027 World Cup that will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. READ MORE. 

“I’m very happy for Shreyas Iyer," said Harbhajan on JioHotstar. "He’s one of those guys who hardly gets the credit he deserves. We talk about that World Cup in India, he scored back-to-back centuries, and with what pace! He’s an impact player; when he gets going, he makes things easy for the dressing room and the other batters." READ MORE. 

"I mean, what they've been doing for years, score runs. I don't think that changes. You're still playing for your country. I mean, they're still leaders in their dressing room. But eventually it's the runs and they've scored tons of it, both of them and been extremely successful in this format. So we hope they keep doing it. And you don't have to think too far. At this point, the team is picked for Australia and we need them to score runs like they have been through their career."

1983 World Cup-winning former pacer Madan Lal is happy that Shubman Gill has been made captain of the ODI squad. “This is an excellent decision by the selectors. Making Gill captain is a forward-looking move. He will be prepared for the World Cup. Now it will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma performs under Gill’s leadership,” said Lal, speaking to Cricket Predicta. READ MORE. 

This is what Harbhajan Singh had to say on JioHotstar: “First of all, congratulations to Shubman Gill. Obviously, he has been leading the team well in Test cricket and now, he has been given another responsibility to lead the team in ODIs as well. Of course, it’s going to be a new challenge for him. He hasn’t done that before. Talking about Rohit being replaced as a captain by Shubman, Rohit is someone who holds a very good record in white ball cricket. I think, to be honest, it is a little bit shocking news for me to see Rohit not being captain. And once he was selected, I thought, if at all he was going to Australia, he would have been captain again." READ MORE. 

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh was one of the players who was “shocked” at the decision.

“Talking about Rohit being replaced as a captain by Shubman, Rohit is someone who holds a very good record in white ball cricket. I think, to be honest, it is a little bit shocking news for me to see Rohit not being captain. And once he was selected, I thought, if at all he was going to Australia, he would have been captain again. Rohit just won the Champions Trophy and other tournaments before as well as ODI captain. He has been one of the pillars of Indian cricket when it comes to white ball. I think he should have given at least another chance. If you want to think of the 2027 World Cup, that’s still very far for Shubman. Probably, take the team forward after maybe six months or eight months or a year. There’s still a lot of time for that. I’m a bit disappointed for Rohit Sharma not being the captain,” Harbhajan Singh said on JioHotstar after hearing Ajit Agarkar’s press conference at the Narendra Modi Stadium, right after India defeated West Indies in the first Test.

READ MORE

On Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel: Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order. I think when he got a 100, I think he batted number three, if I'm not wrong. Jurel usually bats lower down the order. KL bats there as well. You've seen how good a player Dhruv is. Again, you're looking at spots. I don't think there's room at the top again. So we're looking at guys who can fit in those spots. Obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there  and we're trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it's a little bit different. So that's basically the thought. It's more the position than anything else.

On Nitish Kumar Reddy: "I mean, Hardik's missing out through injury. Again, (Reddy) has shown a lot of promise. We've seen more in Test cricket so far. It gives us an opportunity to see what he can do in white-ball cricket. We don't have a whole lot of guys who can bat and bowl both because it's a difficult job to do both. He's certainly showing promise and we'll probably see a bit more of him when he does bowl in white-ball cricket and bat."

Agarkar was asked if the task was made even more difficult because Rohit had led India to victory in the Champions Trophy. "Yeah, it would have been a difficult decision to make even if he had not won the Champions Trophy because of how good he's been for India. But you've got to sometimes look at what's coming forward, where you stand as a team, and eventually look at what's in the best interest of the team. Whether it's now or maybe six months later. Those are the calls that I suppose we were put in place to make. Like I said, it's tough with one-day cricket at this point. Because if you're going to make that call, you want to try and make it reasonably early and give the other guy enough chance to try and get that confidence of leading another format. So that was the idea. But it's always tough when someone who's been very successful, you just have to make that decision."

Agarkar was asked if making Gill the captain for the Australia tour was always the plan or if it was a decision that was influenced by the 26-year-old's extraordinary performance in his first series as Test skipper in England. "I mean he's been vice-captain in one-day cricket for a while now. It's not just the England series. I mean that's always the plan, whenever the next guy takes over, it ideally should be the vice-captain. It doesn't always work out that way of course. But obviously what he's shown in England were really good positive signs. And we're very hopeful."

"Yeah, I mean I think we've made it clear a couple of years back now that whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. Particularly the guys. I mean that's the only way you'll keep yourself sharp and playing cricket if you've got a long enough break. Whether that's possible with the international cricket you're playing or not, that only time will tell.
But if guys are free, they should be playing domestic cricket."

There is no Hardik Pandya in the squad for the Australia tour. This is what Agarkar had to say about the all-rounder: "At the moment he's not going to be fit for Australia. I think the injury that he picked up just before the finals in Asia Cup. We'll know in due course how long he's going to be at this point. In a week's time, he's supposed to be there at the COE. And once he starts his rehab, we'll probably get better timelines. But for Australia, he's definitely not available."

Agarkar was asked how they plan to rest and plan about Bumrah? Yeah, we've already rested him for the one-day games. I mean, when we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, I mean, there was, what, a month and a half or close to that five weeks or something since that Manchester test that he played. So, there is always a plan. 

But we've also got to see what's in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he's always available. We will look after him, and the others as well.  I mean, you know, Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who, you know, who do play Test cricket and will end up having a lot of bowling to do. So, we'll try and manage all the seniors so that you minimise the risk of injuries.

Writing about the India ODI side picked for the Australia series later this month, The Indian Express' Sriram Veera writes: "Ajit Agarkar and Co have been decisively rational, ruthless even, to take some big calls to drag Indian cricket forward (with the anointment of Test skipper Shubman Gill, 26, as ODI captain, overlooking Rohit Sharma in the process)."

Veera adds: "It’s a call that had to be taken... The message is clear to both Rohit and Virat Kohli: the door isn’t entirely shut on individual careers, but the reins to run and steer Indian cricket has been snapped."

READ MORE

Ajit Agarkar was asked about reports that this would be the last ODI series for Rohit and Virat and whether anything was discussed on those lines. he is also asked about the fitness protocols in place.

A journalist asked: "We didn't see Virat during the course of the COE tests. So, is it just tougher sort of evaluating the two of them now that they play only one format?" 

Agarkar responds: "Not as far as I know. I think they've both done their fitness tests or the fitness norms that have been suggested. Again, I wish Adrian was here or somebody from the team was there. As far as I know or the selectors know, they've gone through the required norms that have been put in place. So, I haven't heard anything other than that. And generally, before selection, we give names out to the COE who tells us about the fitness status of all the players. And everyone who's been picked has been declared fit and available."

Agarkar is asked about Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who have been outstanding in the last six months in the T20 format of the game. Agarkar is asked if they figure anywhere in ODI set-up or whether India simply cannot accommodate them because there's too much talent in one team.

Agarkar notes: "I mean, you're right. At the moment, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to open. There's Yashasvi Jaiswal, you know, people tend to forget how good he is as well. And Tilak's very close. Again, we've taken a 15-man squad. It's a three-match series. It's not like a Test series where you can carry a few extra which you might need. And you're not going to make too many changes in three games that you play. It's a short series. We've got a few more one-days coming after that. We'll see how we can try and rotate players. But they're both excellent players and are putting up their case. But at this point, there's no real place."

Ajit Agarkar is asked if there was a risk of burnout for Shubman Gill considering the amount of work he will have on his plate over the next few months and two years leading up to the ODI World Cup.

Ajit Agarkar says: 'Hopefully not. He's still quite young. We saw what he did in England under immense pressure. So there were really positive signs there. You've seen his record in one-day cricket as a batter. We hope there's no burnout.
It is true there's a lot of cricket coming thick and fast over the next few months in particular. Him particularly, but the team management as well, we'll try and manage it as best as we can. But you also want to, like I said, give the guy enough time to try and prepare going into that next World Cup, which is 24 months away, but may not be that many games. So we want to give him the best possible chance.'

Chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, when asked what they had said to Rohit Sharma when communicating that Shubman Gill will take over as captain, says: "I mean, that's a conversation between me and Rohit. Or us (selectors) and Rohit. But, of course, it's been communicated."

Asked how difficult it was to replace Rohit Sharma as the India captain considering he won India the Champions Trophy in the last game for India, Ajit Agarkar says: "Even if he had not won, it would have been a difficult decision. But sometimes you have to look forward, where you stand, interest of the team etc. Tough call." 

He points out again that it was tough with ODI cricket at this point because so little of it was being played. This is why they needed to give Shubman Gill a long period to get acclimatised as captain.

Agarkar asked about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli completing the firtness protocols, says: "They have completed all the required formalities to be in the team. We always send names selected to CoE and confirm their fitness."

Talking about excluding Ravindra Jadeja from the side, Agarkar says: 'He's very much in the plans. But there will be some competition for places. Of course, he was there in the Champions Trophy squad. Because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there, at the moment, we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi and Kuldeep there as well. And I don't think we're going to need more than that in Australia spin. But he's clearly in the scheme of things, Jaddu, with how good he is, what he offers us as a batter and a bowler, but particularly in the field as well. It's just three matches... it's a short series. You can't accommodate everyone. And unfortunately, at the moment, he's missing out."

Ajit Agarkar asked what was the thought process to have a new captain going ahead

Agarkar says: "A couple of things really. Firstly, it's practically impossible to have three different captains for three formats, just in terms of planning. Obviously, at some stage, you've got to start looking at where the next World Cup is. It's also a format which is played the least now. So you don't get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy, that much time to prepare himself or plan. And we're two years away still. That might look like a long time, but we don't quite know how many one-day games we might play. Closer to the World Cup, we might end up playing a little bit more than what we have. But the last one-day game we played was, what, 8th or 9th March in Champions Trophy. And the next one we play is in October 19th.  So it is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket at the moment. Of course, the focus has been on T20 World Cup. But surely we'll start planning for that World Cup to come. So as a plan, it gives the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games that we have coming. And it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats. In terms of not just selectors, but more importantly, even for the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy."

Agarkar is then asked if Rohit Sharma was told that there will be a new captain.  

"Yes, of course he had been told," says Ajit Agarkar.

It's official! Shubman Gill is the new ODI captain for the Indian cricket team for the tour of Australia. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer is his deputy! 

The Indian Express' Devendra Pandey had reported this earleir in the day, which has now been officially confirmed by the BCCI through a press release right after the Indian team defeated West Indies in the first Test in Ahmedabad.  

Here are the Indian sides for the tour of Australia

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
 
India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

The chairman of Indian selectors, Ajit Agarkar, will be adressing the media in Ahmedabad shortly! 

Devendra Pandey notes that India's squads for the Tour of Australia will be announced after the post-match press conference of the India vs West Indies game. It will be followed by a press conference with Mr Ajit Agarkar, Chairperson, Senior Men's Selection Committee

While news breaks that Shubman Gill will be the new leader of the ODI side going ahead, Shubman Gill had led the Indian Test side to a win over West Indies in the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The victory came in just eight sessions as India win by an innings and 140 runs! 

This is India's third largest victory over the West Indies after the Rajkot Test in 2018 where the hosts had beaten West Indies by an innings and 272 runs and the Roseau Test in 2023, where they triumphed by an innings and 141 runs. 

Check out our INDIA vs WEST INDIES blog to find out how things panned out under captain Shubman Gill 

Devendra Pandey reports that Suryakumar Yadav will be captain of the Indian T20I side for the tour of Australia. 

Yadav had not been at his best with the bat at the recently-concluded Asia Cup, where he managed just 71 runs, with his highest being 47 not out.

But the one stat that matters, he didwell: guiding India to seven wins out of seven games as they claimed the Asia Cup title. 

We seem to have found an answer to two big questions so far for the Australia tour: Rohit Sharma will not captain. But Virat Kohli and Rohit will be in the side for thr tour. 

Now comes the other big question: will Shreyas Iyer find a spot in the side? 

We'll have clarity on that shortly. 

Devendra Pandey, The Indian Express' reporter who tracks BCCI stories and Indian cricket news, is reporting that Shubman Gill is likely to be handed the reins of captaincy ahead of Rohit Sharma. 

It is understood that Rohit and Kohli remain in the scheme of things for ODIs for now but will be playing their first competitive matches in eight months, writes Pandey.

READ MORE

Winds of change are blowing hard through Indian cricket these days with Shubman Gill leading the young Test team (and doing it well, considering what we have seen in the England tour and the ongoing home series against West Indies), and Suryakumar Yadav captaining the T20I side for the Asia Cup, where again the team lifted the trophy.

But now comes the big question: will the Indian selectors use the Australia series to transition to a new captain with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli providing guidance? Or will they persist with Rohit at the helm Down Under? 

We shall find out soon enough! 

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have stayed active in just the one format for India: the 50-over one. This means that there is plenty of focus on those two stalwarts as India announce their side for the tour of Australia shortly today. 

Both players are active in the IPL, but other than that, we haven't seen too much of them.

In fact, the last we saw Kohli and Rohit play for India was at the Champions Trophy in February-March.

This will make the India team announcement very highly anticipated. 

Rishabh Pant has missed plenty of cricket since he fractured his foot in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in July. And it's unlikely that he will be back in time for the series against Australia. 

The fact that he had batted on the next day despite fracturing his foot is likely to have exacerbated the injury. 

Pant has now missed the fifth Test against England, the Asia Cup, and the ongoing West Indies series. 

What we know for sure from the other side is that captain Pat Cummins will not play against India. Cricket Australia have already announced that the captain won't be considered for the white-ball tour by India to "manage his workload". He had a flare-up of a lower-back issue and the Australians are looking at the Ashes.

"Cummins won't be considered for the upcoming limited-overs series against India or New Zealand and will continue his rehabilitation plan, with a return to bowling to be determined as part of his Ashes preparation," read CA’s statement.

There is some chatter about all-rounder Hardik Pandya not being ready to play the Australia tour. Nitish Kumar Reddy could be a probable replacement.

Pandya had missed the Asia Cup final against Pakistan last week too after picking up an issue in the team's final Super 4 clash against Sri Lanka. He was also dethroned as the world no 1 all rounder in the T20 format this week. 

1st T20I, 29th October 2025 - Manuka Oval, Canberra 

2nd T20I, 31st October 2025 - Melbourne Cricket Ground

3rd T20I, 2nd November 2025 - Bellerive Oval, Hobart

4th T20I, 6th November 2025 - Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast

5th T20I, 8th November 2025 - Brisbane

1st ODI, 19th October 2025 - Perth

2nd ODI, 23rd October 2025  - Adelaide

3rd ODI, 25th October 2025  - Sydney

While India continue to thump the West Indies in Ahmedabad in the longest format, the selectors will be busy rearranging and rejigging the white-ball squads this afternoon. An enticing burst of three ODIs and five T20Is in Australia will soon be upon us, the cynosure of which will undoubtedly be on the comeback of the legendary Indian batting duo - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli!