Bumrah rested for Australia ODIs due to workload management, status on Pandya's injury will be known in due time: Ajit Agarkar

Synopsis

India has announced its squads for the white-ball tour to Australia, with Jasprit Bumrah rested from ODIs for workload management, returning for T20Is. Hardik Pandya misses the entire tour due to injury, with his rehab timeline awaited. Shubman Gill will captain the ODI side, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to action.

Following the announcement of India's squad for the tour to Australia for both white-ball formats, India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the Australia ODIs for managing his workload, and the team management is going to look after not only his workload but also the other pacers.

Bumrah has been rested for the ODI series to be played from October 19 onwards. It follows three back-to-back tough assignments: the five-match Test tour to England, in which he played three Tests; the Asia Cup-winning title campaign, during which he took seven wickets in five matches at an average of 19.28, with his best figures of 2/18; and the ongoing home series of two Tests against the West Indies.

During the first two outings in the UK and UAE, he was not at his most elite form as a wicket-taker, despite managing two five-wicket hauls in England. During the fourth Test at Manchester, he was also struggling with his fitness and missed the final Test at The Oval.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma dropped as ODI captain as Shubman Gill takes charge for Australia series, Shreyas Iyer returns as deputy

During the recently concluded first Ahmedabad Test, Bumrah took three wickets. It is not known if he will play the series decider, starting from October 10. Coming to the Australia tour, Bumrah will be coming back during the T20I series starting from October 29 onwards.

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Speaking to the media during the team announcement presser, Agarkar said about Bumrah, "We have already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, there was a month and a half, or close to that, five weeks or something, since that Manchester test that he played. There is always a plan. Whenever you can give him a break, you will."

"Because we all know how important he is. But we have also got to see what is in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he is always available. We will look after not just him. (Mohammed) Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. Other guys do play test cricket and will end up having a lot of bowling to do. We will try to manage all the seamers so that we minimise the risk of injury," he added.

Another absence from the squad is all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is missing the tour in its entirety. Pandya will not play because of the injury he picked up just before the Asia Cup title clash against Pakistan, which caused him to watch India chase down 147 from the dugout.

Agarsakr said that at the moment, the all-rounder is not going to be fit for the tour Down Under, and they will know in due course how long he is going to be out from competitive cricket.

"In a week's time, he is supposed to be there at the COE (Centre of Excellence). Once he starts his rehab, we will probably get better timelines. But for Australia, he is definitely not available," he added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the ODI and T20I squad for the upcoming bilateral series against Australia, which will start on October 19, where the Men in Blue will play three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour.

Big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be back in action for the first time since the Champions Trophy 2025 final, but what raised the eyebrows was that Rohit will not be leading the ODI squad on the Australian tour. In place of him, right-hand batter Shubman Gill will lead the side, and in-form batter Shreyas Iyer will be his deputy.

KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have been picked in the squad as the wicketkeepers. Speaking about the all-rounders, there are names like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar in the line-up. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been left out of the squad after he sustained a niggle during the Asia Cup 2025.

In the bowling department, the Senior Men's Selection Committee have included Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana as fast bowlers and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as a specialist spinner.

Men in Blue's T20I squad for the Australia series is almost the same as the one that played the Asia Cup 2025. There is only the inclusion of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy in the team.

India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (C), 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), and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India's T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), 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, and Washington Sundar.

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