India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia was announced earlier today by BCCI’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both, are set to return for the Men in Blue, for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy, which was held earlier this year. Additionally, Shubman Gill has been named captain of the side in ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer appointed as vice captain.
However, the absence of several big names from the Indian squad, particularly the following five star players, has raised quite a few eyebrows:
5 Big Names Missing from IND vs AUS ODI Squad
1) Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is the most important bowler for the Men in Blue in every format, which is why his absence from the ODI squad is surprising.
The three matches will be played in Australia’s testing conditions, and him not being available would up the challenge. That said, his omission is likely because of work-load management.
Bumrah just played the Asia Cup, and featured in the first IND vs WI Test match as well, which finished today, and has been called up for IND vs AUS T20I series, which will start just after the ODI series.
2) Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami hasn’t been called up for India in T20Is since February 2025, and while he was a part of the ICC Champions Trophy winning squad, he won’t be playing in the upcoming Australia series.
There is no official word on his exclusion.
3) Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson hasn’t been a part of the Men in Blue’s ODI setup for quite some time, having played the last ODI in December 2023 against South Africa.
T20Is now seem to be his focus, as has been a regular in the format since Gautam Gambhir took over, and has been selected in the IND vs AUS T20 squad.
4) Ravindra Jadeja
India’s veteran all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, also couldn’t find a place in the ODI squad. Ajit Agarkar actually spoke about this during the press conference.
He said, “Ravindra Jadeja is absolutely in our plans — everyone knows how good he is and what he offers as an all-rounder and a fielder, but for this short series, we wanted to maintain balance with Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav in the squad.“
5) Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy has emerged as an important player for India. He impressed greatly during the ICC Champions Trophy, and also had a good run in the recent T20 Asia Cup.
However, it is worth noting that both competitions were played in Dubai, and his inclusion might have had to do with taking advantage of the spin-friendly conditions. That said, he has been called for the T20 series in Australia.
