Shreyas Iyer had already been a regular in the ODI squad but his elevation to being Gill’s deputy indicates the the team management deciding to give him a sense of permanence in the format.Shreyas Iyer was elevated as the vice-captain of the ODI side. He, however, remained out of the T20I side.
Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain, was announced as the captain of the ODI side for the Australia tour on Saturday (September 4), marking a major shift in Indian cricket which began earlier this year when Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as the Test skipper after the latter announced his retirement from red-ball cricket.
BCCI’s chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, made the announcement in a press conference minutes after India beat West Indies in the first Test in Ahmedabad.
India will play three ODIs in Australia starting October 19 at Perth, followed by a five-match T20I series starting October 29 at Canberra. Shubman Gill was the vice-captain of India’s Champions Trophy-winning squad – India’s last ODI assignment – which was led by Rohit Sharma. Rohit, the captain of that side, returned to the ODI set-up but only as a player. Another stalwart, Virat Kohli, too, was an automatic choice for the ODI side.
Both Rohit and Kohli are only available for ODIs after announcing their retirements from T20Is and Tests. Ajit Agarkar mentioned that Rohit was communicated about the decision to remove him as the ODI captain despite leading India to the Champions Trophy title.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was rested from the three-match ODI series but he was included for the five T20Is, keeping next year’s World Cup in mind.
Among other notable absentees were all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pandya was ruled out of the Australia tour with an injury he sustained during the last group-stage match against Sri Lanka, while Pant is still nursing his fractured foot.
Jadeja, however, was dropped from the side as the selectors decided to go with Axar Patel as their lead spin-bowling all-rounder. Washington Sundar also found himself back in the ODI setup and so did opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Agarkar, however, made it clear that Rohit will open with Gill and Jaiswal is touring as a backup opener.
Hardik Pandya was replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ODI and T20I squads. With Rishabh Pant out with an injury, KL Rahul is guaranteed to keep wickets in ODIs. Dhruv Jurel pipped Sanju Samson for the backup keeper’s spot because the selectors thought Jurel was better suited to bat in the middle-order than the Rajasthan Royals captain in 50-over cricket.
There were no major changes in the T20I squad that won the Asia Cup recently. Following the selection of Shreyas Iyer’s as vice captain for India’s tour to Australia, Former Indian cricketer now commentator Aakash Chopra has hailed this decision explaining the importance of IPL
KL Rahul could also have been vice-captain- Aakash Chopra’s take on Shreyas Iyer’s promotion
Former opener Aakash Chopra has stated that the decision to appoint Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain of India’s ODI squad for Australia is proof of how much weightage is given to IPL success. He added that the selectors could have looked at KL Rahul as well for the post of vice-captain, but opined that the decision to go for Shreyas is a step in the forward direction as the team moves into transition.
Team India’s squads for the ODI and T20I series to be played in Australia later in the month were announced on Saturday, October 4. While Shubman Gill was named captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, Shreyas was picked as vice-captain ahead of Rahul – one of the senior-most members of the current team.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra shared his views on the decision to name Shreyas as vice-captain. Referring to the batter’s success as leader in the IPL, the former India opener commented:
“That is big news. The fact that Shreyas Iyer has been made vice-captain proves that IPL performances are valued a lot. KL Rahul could also have been vice-captain. Since 2020, he has been performing consistently, but he doesn’t even seem in contention. Shreyas Iyer was picked as he led KKR to victory in IPL and also took Punjab to the final. He is being seen as a mainstay in the ODI set-up.
“This is part of a transition. The selectors don’t want to look backwards. Hence, they did not go for Rahul. They went for Shreyas, who fits into the scheme of things looking forward,” the 48-year-old went on to add.
Shreyas Iyer was a key member of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy in the UAE earlier this year. He was the side’s leading run-getter in the tournament, smashing 243 runs in five innings at an average of 48.60 and a strike rate of 79.41. The right-handed batter scored 45 in the semifinal against Australia and 48 in the final against New Zealand.
Shreyas Iyer has been highly impressive as captain in the IPL over the years. Under him, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the T20 league in 2024. Having moved to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the 2025 season, the 30-year-old led his new franchise to the final. PBKS, however, went down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Under him, Delhi Capitals (DC) also finished runners-up in 2020.
The aggressive right-handed batter led from the front in PBKS’ IPL 2025 campaign. In 17 matches, he amassed 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. The Punjab skipper struck six fifties, with a best of 97*.
Shubman Gill has already led India in T20Is and Tests, but the upcoming Australia series will be his first experience of ODI captaincy. Shubman Gill has won three, lost two, and drawn one out of his six Tests as India captain so far. He will be leading for the first time in ODIs during the Australia tour. Team India’s white-ball tour of Australia will begin with the three ODIs on October 19. They will play five T20Is following the ODI series.
Also Read:Â ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball