The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced an 18-man India squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia, starting March 17.
Ravindra Jadeja, who returned to international cricket in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after being on the sidelines for an extended period due to injury, has also been picked for the ODIs. Veteran top-order batter Shikhar Dhawan isn’t in the squad, which means the selectors are now looking past him. Jasprit Bumrah is also missing from the squad as he has yet to be declared fully fit.
Moreover, Saurashtra’s left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat has also been named in the squad after a gap of ten years. An ODI against West Indies in Kochi in 2013 was the last time he featured in a one-day game for India. But Unadkat has enjoyed a stellar outing in domestic cricket in the last couple of years, and this is the reward for his hard work and performance.
KL Rahul has also returned to the squad after he missed the previous assignment due to family commitments, as he got married to Athiya Shetty, his long-time girlfriend.
Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team again but will be absent in the first ODI due to family commitments. Hardik Pandya will lead India in that match in Rohit’s absence.
The ODI series is set to begin with the first match in Mumbai on March 17, followed by the second game in Visakhapatnam on March 19. The series will conclude with the third ODI in Chennai on March 22.
India’s ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, K L Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat.
