Mumbai: Shubman Gill has been named captain of a 15-member India squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series, which begins on January 11. Ending earlier speculation, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been included in the squad, while senior pacer Mohammed Shami misses out despite showing encouraging form in domestic cricket following his return.
Shreyas Iyer makes a comeback to the national setup as vice-captain, although his participation remains subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE). The middle-order batter has been cleared to represent Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is expected to feature in their sixth-round match against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur on January 6, the BCCI said in a post on X.
After the ODI series, India will take on New Zealand – not South Africa – in a five-match T20I series. The assignment will act as India’s final preparatory outing ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.
With the global tournament just weeks away, the selectors have opted to rest key players Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya for the ODI series against the Black Caps, managing workloads ahead of the marquee event.
India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal
