There has been a lot of hype around India's upcoming white-ball tour of Australia that is set to commence from October 19 and will include of three ODIs and five T20Is. This is because both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to make their return to international cricket with the one-day series.
Notably, the last time the duo donned the Indian jersey was during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand that took place in March. Soon after, both of them announced their retirements from red-ball cricket, which saw them not feature in the five-match Test series against England where they were initially expected to play a key role. Fans have been waiting for quite a long time to see both Rohit and Virat back in action for India.
When will India's squad be announced?
According to a report by Cricbuzz, India's squad for both the ODI and T20I series against Australia will be announced on October 4, Saturday. Though it is highly likely that both Rohit and Virat will be part of the ODI squad, BCCI's official announcement is still much-awaited.
On the other hand, a report by PTI stated that the likes of Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant won't be available for the tour as they recovering from their respective injuries. While Pant had sustained a toe fracture during the Manchester Test against England in July, Pandya had sustained a quadriceps injury that saw him get ruled out of the all-important Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
Gill likely to be rested for the tour
Another player that will reportedly not be a part of India's squad for the Australia tour is Shubman Gill. The 26-year-old's workload has become a topic of discussion as of recent and this is due to the fact that he has been playing matches for India non-stop. After a gruelling season in the IPL, Gill captained the Men in Blue in the England Tests and then played every single match for the team in the Asia Cup. It is likely that he will be rested for the Australia series in order to lower the risk of injury.