India National Cricket Team vs Australia National Cricket Team Match: Newly appointed India ODI captain Shubman Gill described the role as the “biggest honour” in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Gill said it is a matter of immense pride to lead a team that has performed so well. “That is definitely a bit overwhelming. As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India — and not just play for India but to play Test cricket for a very long time. To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour. Like you said, it’s a big responsibility,” Gill said in a video released by BCCI.
“It’s the biggest honour to be able to lead your country in one-day cricket and to lead a side that has done so well. It’s an immense pride for me, and I hope I’ll be able to do great. I think we have about 20 ODIs before we play the World Cup. The ultimate goal is the World Cup in South Africa. Everything we play now—every player we try—is to ensure we’re fully ready to win that World Cup,” Gill further said.
The 26-year-old succeeds Rohit Sharma as captain. Shreyas Iyer was named vice-captain. The BCCI also announced a 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, are included in the squad. Hardik Pandya is out with a left quadriceps injury, and Rishabh Pant is recovering from a fractured foot. Dhruv Jurel will serve as backup wicket-keeper to KL Rahul.
The team includes one frontline spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, and two all-rounders, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack, assisted by Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested.
The ODI series begins in Perth on October 19. The second match will be in Adelaide on October 23. The final match will be in Sydney on October 25.
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, Yashasvi Jaiswal.