New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed India’s squad for the upcoming tour of Australia, with 26-year-old Shubman Gill poised to lead the One-Day International (ODI) side.

This move signals the selectors’ long-term plan to groom him as India’s captain ahead of the ICC World Cup 2027, to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

According to reports, the decision was communicated to Gill during Saturday’s selection meeting, which also involved head coach Gautam Gambhir. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to return to the squad after an eight-month break following India’s Champions Trophy win in Dubai earlier this year.

If the leadership transition is formalised, it will mark a significant generational change, with Gill succeeding the 38-year-old Rohit Sharma, who captained India to two major ICC titles — the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Gill’s appointment comes on the back of an outstanding run as Test captain, where he amassed 754 runs in five matches in England at an average of 75.40, including four centuries. In ODIs, Gill has already scored 2,775 runs in 55 matches at an average of 59.04, with eight centuries — including a double hundred against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2023.

While Gill is expected to lead the ODI side, Suryakumar Yadav will continue as captain for the five-match T20I series against Australia that follows.

The ODIs are scheduled to be played in Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne between October 19 and 25 and will be followed by a five-match T20 series.

Indian ODI squad for Australia tour: Shubman Gill (Captain), 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.

India's T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

Rohit Sharma, despite stepping down from Test captaincy earlier this year after a poor run of form, remains in the selectors’ plans for ODIs. “Runs are not coming but there is no guarantee that you won’t be able to score two months down the line,” Rohit had said earlier, reflecting on his temporary dip in form.

The upcoming Australia series — featuring three ODIs and five T20Is — will serve as an important testing ground for Gill’s leadership ahead of India’s long-term white-ball roadmap.