India announces squad for Australia ODI series, Rohit, Virat, Hardik, Kuldeep rested for 2 ODIs, Ashwin makes comeback in the ODI setup ahead of World Cup.
On Monday, September 18, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled India’s sqaud for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. A notable inclusion in the squad is off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is making his return to the ODI format after his last appearance in January 2022 against South Africa. In addition to Ashwin’s comeback, several senior players, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav, have been granted a well-deserved rest for the first two ODIs of the series.
India’s squad for first two ODIs vs Australia:ย
KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar
India’s Squad for third ODI vs Australia:ย
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, R. Ashwin
During Rohit Sharma’s absence in the initial two ODIs, wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul will assume the role of team captain. The eagerly anticipated three-match series is set to commence on Friday, September 22, at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The second encounter of the series is scheduled to take place at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on September 24, with the third and final ODI slated for September 27 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
When addressing the decision to rest key members of the World Cup squad just before the highly anticipated tournament, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar emphasized the importance of providing the players with a much-needed mental break in preparation for the significant event, saying
โRohit is taking a break. Others are getting a breather. Rohit and Virat have been around forever. Hardik has been there. Kuldeep too. They got fair amount of cricket in Asia Cup. Guys need mental break and come the third game our main players will play,“Iyer has not picked a stress fracture otherwise he won’t be in the team. At the moment he is fit and hopefully will het these three games. He did pick up a niggle but he is fit at the moment.ย Both Ash and Washi are there as the backup for Axar. Will look at it when it is time there is no need to speculate about it right now.“