Rating India’s ODI squad for Australia: 9/10 as Prasidh Krishna tries Shami’s role & Rohit-Kohli return

The road to the 2027 Cricket World Cup begins with the India vs Australia ODI series. By announcing Shubman Gill as India’s new ODI captain, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it clear that planning for the ICC event has begun.

Barring a few tweaks here and there, this squad right here might be the one we’ll see in South Africa in two years’ time. One can’t forget that in March, when India last played an ODI, the side looked a bit different.

Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant will miss out against Australia due to injuries. Ravindra Jadeja hasn’t been selected, as the selectors and management think there’s room for just one left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, and at the moment, they prefer Axar Patel over him.

Mohammed Siraj was rested for the Champions Trophy due to spin-friendly conditions, and so he returns. Varun Chakravarthy played due to said conditions and has been dropped. Lastly, Mohammed Shami has been dropped, and considering his form and fitness, he might never play for India again.

Rating India’s ODI squad for Australia

Batting (9/10): Finisher needed

The batting remains similar to what it was in March. Shubman Gill will open with Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer will occupy the next two spots. KL Rahul will be the wicketkeeper. But he and the batters to follow might not have a fixed position.

For example, Axar Patel might be used as a spin hitter in the middle overs. Hardik’s replacement, Nitish Kumar Reddy, could be sent in ahead of him to take the bowlers on, playing a role much similar to what Hardik does. Washington Sundar could be used as a collapse arrestor, who will ensure more wickets don’t fall.

This will give the Indian batting lineup incredible flexibility. Then we have backups. Yashasvi Jaiswal will play in place of Rohit or Gill if needed. Although Dhruv Jurel will be used as cover for Rahul, he can be used as a batter. Mind you, he’s the only designated finisher in the entire squad.

This brings us to the point. India doesn’t have a finisher. Yes, well-set batters can do the trick in the death overs. But the Men in Blue haven’t selected someone who can play the David Miller or Tim David role. Jurel’s the closest to this mould, and he might not even be in the starting XI.

Bowling (9/10): No Bumrah, no problems

India has gone pace-heavy for Australia. Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will be the new ball bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah‘s absence. Both have experience of playing in Australia. Having a left-arm pacer always helps, and we know how lethal Siraj can be with the new ball. Now, doing the Shami role will be tough.

For this, India will try to use Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana. It’ll be unlikely that both will play, but their job will be to act as a middle enforcer. It’s something Prasidh excelled at in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. His hit-the-deck type of bowling suits Australian pitches, and he can be a handful with the amount of pace and bounce he generates.

The same goes for Harshit, but of late, he’s had major control issues. Prasidh may have been wayward in Test cricket, but his credentials in shorter formats can’t be questioned. Nitish can’t play the Hardik role with the ball. He’s more of a swing bowler, while Hardik, like Prasidh, leans on bowling short of length. But his style can be useful early on.

In the spin department, India is using just one frontline spinner in Kuldeep Yadav. Considering the pitches, spin might not play that big a role. But having Axar and Washington is a luxury. Both are proper all-rounders. With them, India can play 3 spinners at once.

Like death batting, bowling in the 40-50 overs might be an issue for India. Arshdeep can hold one end, but will one of Prasidh or Siraj do the job? We’ll have to see. Siraj traditionally doesn’t have poor numbers in the latter stages, but he doesn’t have the same skill sets that Bumrah or Arshdeep possess. Prasidh might struggle even more.

India ODI squad for Australia

Shubman Gill (c), 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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