There were jolly moments as Team India gathered ahead of their departure to Australia for the upcoming white-ball series. The newly-appointed ODI captain, Shubman Gill, was spotted sharing a warm hug with former skipper Rohit Sharma, a gesture that reflected mutual respect despite the change in leadership.
Shubman Gill was seen sharing a laugh with Virat Kohli and warmly clasping hands with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. The players shared warm camaraderie inside the team bus. The mood within the camp appeared relaxed yet focused as the players prepared to take on Australia in a series that marks a fresh chapter for Indian cricket. The official X handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video.
India will play three ODIs and five T20Is Down Under, with both Rohit and Kohli featuring in the ODI leg. The series also serves as an important step in building towards the next ODI World Cup cycle, as the new leadership group begins its journey together.
The series will commence with the 50-Over fixtures on Sunday, and the second and third ODIs will be played on October 23 and 25. The five T20Is will be played from October 29 to November 8.
India's unbeaten run in the Champions Trophy, which concluded on a fairytale note with Rohit being named Player of the Match for his rollicking 76(83) in the final, marked the last appearance of the veteran duo for India. They were expected to return to the Test fold, but both decided to bid adieu to the format more than a month before the England tour.
Considering they pulled the curtains down in T20Is after the fabled win in Barbados, which ended with India returning home with the T20 World Cup title, Rohit and Virat have transformed into one-format players. While Rohit has returned to the format, he will solely feature as a batter.
During the squad announcement earlier this month, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that he had personally informed Rohit about the selectors' decision to pull the plug on his captaincy stint and hand it to Gill. The decision to pass down the captaincy mantle remains significant in the milieu of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
India's ODI squad for Australia: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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