New Delhi, Oct 3 (NationPress) Renowned cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are poised for a return to India’s ODI squad as the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, gears up to finalize teams for the forthcoming white-ball tour of Australia.

The two seasoned players, who last represented India in the victorious 2025 Champions Trophy, have opted out of T20Is following a successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and announced their retirement from Test cricket in May this year.

Sources informed IANS that the selection of both squads is expected to occur on Saturday, although the precise timing is contingent on the conclusion of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

This will mark the inaugural meeting for RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha as national selectors after their recent appointments to the five-member panel during the BCCI AGM on September 28.

“There’s been a consistent enquiry into the fitness status of all players under consideration for the tour. The selectors will ultimately decide who to include for each format for the Australian trip,” said sources familiar with the developments to IANS on Friday.

Although Rohit and Kohli have not participated in competitive matches since IPL 2025, they have been diligently preparing for a demanding schedule of ODI cricket in the upcoming months. Rohit even visited the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to work on his batting and fitness.

India’s tour of Australia will kick off with three ODIs scheduled for October 19 (Perth), October 23 (Adelaide), and October 25 (Sydney), followed by a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8.

Regarding player availability, while most of the core team will likely be retained for both formats, IANS reports that there is still no confirmation on Hardik Pandya’s fitness for the Australia tour. Hardik suffered a quad injury during the Super Over victory against Sri Lanka in the T20 Asia Cup and was unable to participate in the final.

If Pandya is ruled out for the entire tour, Nitish Kumar Reddy may join Shivam Dube as seam-bowling all-rounder options for the trip. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is recovering well at the CoE from a fractured right foot, but his inclusion hinges on the selectors' assessment of his fitness during the selection meeting. With KL Rahul expected to keep wickets in ODIs, Sanju Samson could be included as a second keeper for the 50-over matches and retain his place in the T20I squad.

It will be intriguing to see if Dhruv Jurel, who recently scored his maiden Test century, is included in the squad.

The selectors are also contemplating resting Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Kuldeep Yadav, given the demanding schedule and travel involved in Australia. The extent of rest—whether at the beginning or mid-tour—will be crucial as India is set to play two Tests against South Africa at home, starting November 14 in Kolkata.

Should Gill be rested, Abhishek Sharma, currently with the India A team for 50-over matches against Australia A in Kanpur, Yashasvi Jaiswal, or B Sai Sudharsan might step in as his replacement depending on the format from which the right-handed batter is rested.