Rohit Sharma named in India’s squad for West Indies ODIs, Rishabh Pant to lead Rest of India in Irani Cup

Rohit Sharma stays in India's ODI squad for the West Indies series, alleviating selection doubts. Shubman Gill captains while Kuldeep Yadav heads spin.

India have announced their squads for the upcoming home ODI and T20I series against West Indies, with Shubman Gill continuing as captain in the 50-over format and Shreyas Iyer leading the T20I side. The Men’s Selection Committee also named the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir, with Rishabh Pant appointed captain.

London [England], Jul 19 (ANI): India's Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during 3rd ODI against England, at Lord's in London on Sunday. (ANI Photo) (ANI Pic Service)

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retained their places in the ODI squad, while KL Rahul has been named Gill’s deputy. Rohit’s inclusion is particularly significant after weeks of discussion around his place in India’s longer-term ODI plans, with the former captain remaining firmly in the set-up for the three-match series.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also part of the batting group, while Dhruv Jurel has been selected as the second wicketkeeping option alongside Rahul. Naman Dhir is another notable inclusion in the 15-member squad as India make several changes owing to the overlap with the Asian Games.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has been withdrawn from India’s Asian Games squad and will instead feature in the ODI series against West Indies. The BCCI confirmed the change while announcing the squads, with Nitish providing India with a seam-bowling all-round option in the absence of Hardik Pandya.

Auqib Nabi earns ODI selection

Auqib Nabi has also been included in the ODI squad and joins Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar among India’s pace options. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav provide the principal spin options, while India will be without several regular white-ball players because of the Asian Games.

The three-match ODI series begins in Trivandrum on September 27 before moving to Guwahati for the second game on September 30. The final ODI will be played in New Chandigarh on October 3, the same day as the medal matches at the Asian Games.

Shreyas Iyer to captain India in T20Is

Shreyas will continue to lead India in the shortest format, with Tilak Varma named vice-captain for the five-match T20I series. Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are among the batting options, while Shivam Dube and Nitish provide additional all-round depth.

India have picked a spin-heavy group featuring Kuldeep, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi. Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav form the specialist pace group, with Jasprit Bumrah absent from the West Indies T20Is as he remains part of India’s Asian Games squad.

The T20I series will begin in Lucknow on October 6, followed by matches in Ranchi on October 9 and Indore on October 11. Hyderabad will host the fourth T20I on October 14 before the series concludes in Bengaluru on October 17.

Rishabh Pant to lead Rest of India

Pant, meanwhile, has been named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup, with Sarfaraz Khan serving as his deputy. The squad will face Jammu & Kashmir, who earned their place in the traditional season-opening fixture after winning the Ranji Trophy.

Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Smaran Ravichandran and Ayush Doseja feature among the batting options, while Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain and Anukul Roy strengthen the spin department. Akash Deep has also been included, although his participation remains subject to fitness clearance.

Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary are part of the pace attack, while Aryan Juyal provides another wicketkeeping option alongside Pant. Aryan Pandey has also been included in the 15-member Rest of India squad.

Squads

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vc), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Naman Dhir. Gill will lead the side, while Rahul has been named vice-captain.

India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav. Shreyas will captain the side, with Tilak serving as his deputy.

Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (c, wk), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan (vc), Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (wk), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy and Ayush Doseja. Pant will captain the side, while Sarfaraz is the vice-captain, and Akash Deep’s inclusion is subject to fitness clearance.