West Indies ODI Series: Rohit Sharma Retained, Auqib Nabi Gets India Squad Call-Up

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will continue to feature in India’s ODI setup after being named in the 15-member squad for the three-match series against the West Indies.

Shubman Gill remains captain, while KL Rahul has been appointed vice-captain. The squad also includes two uncapped players — Punjab all-rounder Naman Dhir and Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi — who have earned their first call-ups to India’s senior ODI team.

The three-match series will open in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, followed by the second ODI in Guwahati on September 30. The final match will be played in New Chandigarh on October 3.

Rohit’s selection comes after considerable speculation about his future in the 50-over format. The former captain remains part of the squad after scoring a century against England at Lord’s in July. Virat Kohli will also continue alongside Rohit as India prepare for the West Indies assignment.

Hardik Pandya Misses Out, Nitish Kumar Reddy Included

Hardik Pandya has not been selected despite being scheduled to return to competitive cricket later this month. The all-rounder is set to feature for India A against Australia A in a three-match one-day series in Puducherry starting October 6.

Hardik is expected to resume competitive cricket on September 20. The selectors are expected to assess his bowling workload before considering him for ODI cricket, particularly whether he can consistently deliver the 10 overs required from an all-rounder.

With Hardik unavailable, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been brought into the ODI squad after being withdrawn from India’s Asian Games team. His inclusion provides India with another seam-bowling all-round option.

Rishabh Pant is another notable absentee. The wicketkeeper-batter will instead captain the Rest of India side against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir in the Irani Cup.

Jadeja Returns, Two Players Earn Maiden Call-Ups

Ravindra Jadeja has returned to the ODI squad, adding experience to a team affected by the availability of several players for the Asian Games in Japan.

Naman Dhir has earned his first senior ODI call-up following his performances for Punjab in domestic cricket and Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Auqib Nabi has also been rewarded with a maiden call-up after impressing for Surrey in English county cricket.

Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar form the specialist pace group, while Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialist spinners.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to bat at No. 4 in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been picked as the reserve opener, while Dhruv Jurel provides another wicketkeeping option alongside Rahul.

West Indies Series Schedule

India’s West Indies tour will consist of three ODIs followed by five T20Is. The ODI series begins in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, moves to Guwahati on September 30 and concludes in New Chandigarh on October 3.

The final ODI clashes with the medal events of the Asian Games, making player availability a key factor behind the squad composition. The T20I series begins in Lucknow on October 6, followed by matches in Ranchi on October 9, Indore on October 11, Hyderabad on October 14 and Bengaluru on October 17.

Shreyas Iyer will captain the T20I side, with Tilak Varma named vice-captain. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav have been included in place of Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam.

India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.