India squad for Australia tour: 5 mammoth announcements by Ajit Agarkar that promises to alter Indian cricket’s future

BCCI made quite a few significant announcements that could redefine India’s white-ball approach in the lead-up to the two impending ICC tournaments

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the squad for the white-ball tour of Australia on Saturday. The tour will begin with a three-match ODI series starting on October 19, followed by five T20Is. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been picked for the 50-over format, marking their return to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy earlier this year. However, Rohit will no longer lead the ODI side, as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named Shubman Gill as the new captain, with Shreyas Iyer as his deputy.

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, left, and Ajit Agarkar, chairperson of the Senior Men's Selection Committee, talk during a practice session (AP)

Agarkar’s committee made quite a few significant announcements that could redefine India’s white-ball approach in the lead-up to the two impending ICC tournaments - the T20 World Cup in February 2026 and the ODI World Cup at home in 2027. These decisions strike a strategic balance between nurturing young talent and leveraging experienced veterans, signalling a long-term vision that could shape India’s performance in the years to come.

Change in leadership engine

India have never quite been believers in split captaincy. Although for a brief period between July last year and the start of May 2025, India did have two different leaders — largely depending on how the management and selectors prioritised each format based on the scheduling of multi-nation tournaments — with Rohit’s departure from Test cricket earlier this summer, it was always a question of when, not if, Agarkar and his committee would take the tough call on his ODI role.

On Saturday, while Rohit was named in the squad for the impending ODI tour of Australia, the ‘c’ (for captain) was missing beside his name for the first time in three years. The BCCI decided to elevate Gill as the new ODI captain — a call that followed his stupendous show in the recent Test tour of England, where he produced a record-breaking batting performance while leading the team to a 2-2 draw in his maiden assignment. But it seemed this was always part of the plan, as Agarkar explained.

“He’s been vice-captain in one-day cricket for a while now. It’s not just the England series — that’s always been the plan. Whenever the next guy takes over, it ideally should be the vice-captain. It doesn’t always work out that way, but obviously what he’s shown in England were really good positive signs. We are very hopeful,” he said.

The other big call the selectors made was the elevation of Shreyas Iyer to vice-captaincy. There had been a slight whisper in the media since September about selectors viewing Iyer as a potential white-ball leader. The rumours were shut down by the BCCI, before the Punjab Kings star was snubbed for the men’s T20I Asia Cup last month. However, the board naming him Gill’s deputy in ODIs suggests a renewed interest in his leadership potential, especially after his impressive IPL performances over the past two seasons.

Rohit and Kohli in World Cup plans?

Much of the interest surrounding the announcement of India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour focused on the future of Kohli and Rohit. Earlier this summer, speculation was rife that both stalwarts might end their international careers in Australia, as the BCCI could have pushed them to play domestic cricket to stay fresh for selection ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Neither the selectors nor the players commented on the matter until Saturday, October 3, 2025, when Agarkar did include Kohli and Rohit in the three-match series, but remained non-committal as far as World Cup plans are concerned.

"I mean, they are, that's the format they are at the moment playing, we picked them as far as the 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," Agarkar said.

However, the chief selector stressed their need to prioritise participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy when away from ODI cricket action. "I think we have made it clear a couple of years back now that whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. That's the only way you will 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, only time will tell. But if guys are free, they should be playing domestic cricket," he said.

Ravindra Jadeja on brink

The star all-rounder, who was part of India's triumphant Champions Trophy side earlier this year, failed to find a spot in the ODI squad for the Australia tour as the selectors picked Axar Patel and Washington Sundar as the two spin-bowling all-rounders. The decision left Jadeja in a tough spot over his future in the format. Although the team still has a long way to go before they narrow in on the World Cup squad, an improved show from Sundar and Axar could imply that Jadeja has always played his last ODI game. Not to forget, the World Cup will be played in South Africa, implying India won't be carrying many spin options as they did for Champions Trophy, based on the conditions in Dubai.

"With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places," Agarkar said. "Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE]. At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don't think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It's a short series, you can't accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it's nothing more than that."

Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma in waiting list

Their stupendous show in the recently concluded Asia Cup sparked a possibility of their inclusion in the ODI squad for the tour of Australia, especially after the selectors named them for the India A match in the 50-over format at home, against Australia A. The discussion largely found logic amid the ongoing rumours over the future of Kohli and Rohit in international cricket. But the squad announcement on Saturday kept them in the waiting list.

India unwilling to tinker T20 World Cup plans

When the likes of Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not named for the Asia Cup, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was certain that they would return in subsequent T20I contests in the build-up to the T20 World Cup next February at home. However, the announcement of the squad for the T20I series in Australia revealed that India are unwilling to tinker with their plans for the ICC tournament and are rather focused on giving the preferred side more game time to prepare for the World Cup, where the team will be defending the crown.