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Cricket PlayersRohit Sharma’s World Cup future, Hardik Pandya’s fitness: India selectors face major calls ahead of West Indies ODIs
The T20I squad will mirror the team picked for the Asian Games, but the selectors will have a bigger job on its hands when it comes to selecting the ODI team
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Several storylines converge on Wednesday as India's selection committee picks the ODI squad for the upcoming home series against West Indies. India will play three ODIs against the Caribbean side, starting September 27, followed by five T20Is from October 6 onwards. The squads for both formats will be announced on Wednesday, although the bulk of the focus will be on the ODI squad and the calls taken by the selectors.
The T20I squad will largely mirror the team picked for the Asian Games, but the Ajit Agarkar-led committee will have a bigger job on its hands when it comes to selecting the 50-over squad. Why? Firstly, the selectors will have to address the elephant in the room: is Rohit Sharma still in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup? There is also the question of Hardik Pandya's availability amid his fitness concerns. More importantly, with the ODI series coinciding with the men's T20 competition at the Asian Games in Japan, most of India's ODI regulars will be unavailable for the home series against West Indies, offering a rare opportunity for fringe options.
Rohit Sharma still in?
The chatter around this very question has been endless throughout the summer.
The selectors reportedly wanted to move on from Rohit in ODIs, with the batter made aware of the decision during the ODI tour of England. He also agreed that the Lord's game would be his last in an India jersey. But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia crushed those speculations right before the game, and Rohit responded with a stunning 138, albeit in a losing cause.
That, apparently, changed nothing.
There was supposed to be a discussion on Rohit's future at a BCCI meeting earlier this month, but Agarkar was absent due to personal reasons and Saikia, once again, threw his weight behind Rohit.
And yet, nothing changed.
The speculation deepened after Rohit, who had long hit back at such outside noise with “I will play” responses, suddenly changed his tune to “October 2027 is still far away” at a recent event where he was asked about his World Cup intentions.
The selection meeting on Wednesday could, for all intents and purposes, put an end to the conflicting storylines and provide much-needed clarity on Rohit's future.
Hardik Pandya set for return?
The star all-rounder has not been in action since the end of IPL 2026 due to a sequence of injuries. He is scheduled to return to competitive action in the India A one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry, starting October 6, but has yet to be cleared to participate. He will undergo a fitness test next week.
However, even if Hardik clears the test, the selectors are unlikely to rush him back, given his importance in the 50-over format. They will probably want to assess his performance in the India A series before making a decision.
But if Hardik is not available, the selectors will face a real headache. Like-for-like replacements Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube will be away on Asian Games duty, along with fellow all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. The trouble doesn't end there. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounders Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed are also injured, as are other potential backups in Suryansh Shedge and Venkatesh Iyer.
Will the selectors go back to Ravindra Jadeja? He has not played an ODI since January 2026 and was not part of the squads for the series against Afghanistan and England this summer.
The Asian Games overlap
The ODI series against West Indies begins on September 27 in Kerala, a day before India's T20 campaign at the Asian Games begins in the quarter-final round. With a number of top players absent, the selectors will have to look at different options, all of whom could be handed a surprise opportunity to impress against West Indies and force their way into contention for the World Cup squad.
Rishabh Pant will surely fancy his chances, with Ishan Kishan on Asian Games duty, although KL Rahul will remain the first-choice wicketkeeper. There is also a case for Dhruv Jurel to be in the mix.
In place of Shreyas Iyer, the selectors could look at Ruturaj Gaikwad at No. 4 or Rajat Patidar, both of whom have been picked for the India A series against Australia A.
With Jasprit Bumrah away, Mohammed Siraj could make a comeback to the ODI squad and join the likes of Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav, all of whom played in the last series.
Any chance for Kuldeep Yadav?
With the Varun Chakravarthy injury setback expected to be temporary and the spinner still in line to travel to Japan for the Asian Games, Kuldeep, who recently picked up a ten-wicket haul in a county game, could get a look in.
