Rohit, Kohli set for return as ODI squad for Australia to be announced Saturday

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to return to international cricket. The two talismans of Indian cricket, currently featuring only in the ODI format, will be part of the one-day squad for the three-match series in Australia.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squad on Saturday (October 4). Kohli and Rohit, who have not appeared in India colours since the Champions Trophy in February-March, are set to be included.

Both players had announced their T20I retirements following India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2024 and recently confirmed their retirements from Test cricket, leaving Shubman Gill to lead a relatively inexperienced batting unit in England and the ongoing Test series against the West Indies.

The defining point of the selection meeting, however, will be the captaincy for the ODIs - specifically, whether Rohit will be retained as captain. It is understood that the selectors plan to discuss the matter with him directly. Meanwhile, Rohit cleared his fitness test at the BCCI centre of excellence in Bengaluru recently.

Apart from Rohit and Kohli, most of the Champions Trophy winners are expected to be picked for the ODIs. This naturally means Shreyas Iyer, a key performer in that successful campaign (highest scorer for India too), is likely to retain his spot in the ODI squad.

The only question is whether Iyer will return to the T20I side as well. Since the selectors can pick more than 15 players for the bilateral series, there should also be places for Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both of whom narrowly missed out on the Asia Cup squad. The selectors will also have to decide whether it is the right time to bring Abhishek Sharma, the hottest player in the T20 circuit, into the ODI setup.

India will tour Australia in October-November, beginning with the ODI leg, with matches scheduled on October 19 (Perth), October 23 (Adelaide) and October 25 (Sydney). This will be followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8, with the T20I squad also expected to be announced alongside the ODI squad.