Why are Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya not included for Australia ODIs? Future of crucial all-rounder revealed

The BCCI on Saturday announced the squads for India’s upcoming tour of Australia, featuring three ODIs and five T20Is starting October 19.

Shubman Gill will lead the ODI side, with Shreyas Iyer as his deputy, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the playing XI for the first time since the Champions Trophy 2025 final.

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India’s sees the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested to manage workload following three back-to-back assignments in the England Test tour, the Asia Cup-winning campaign, and the ongoing home series against West Indies.

Speaking at the team announcement, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “We have already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that. … 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 injuries.”

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, sidelined by a quadriceps injury before the Asia Cup final, is also unavailable for the tour. “For Australia, he is definitely not available,” Agarkar added, noting that Pandya would begin rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence soon.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, despite playing a key role in the Champions Trophy final, has been left out of the ODI squad considering Australian conditions. “He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is,” Agarkar said. “With Washy (Washington Sundar) and Kuldeep (Yadav) there as well, we don’t need more than that in Australia.”

The ODI squad includes wicketkeepers KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel, while the pace attack features Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana.

Kuldeep Yadav is the specialist spinner. All-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar provide balance. Agarkar highlighted that Reddy’s inclusion offers a chance to test his skills in white-ball cricket: “He has shown a lot of promise… we will probably see a bit more of him when he does bowl and bat.”

For the T20I series, the squad is the same as the Asia Cup lineup, barring the inclusion of Nitish Reddy. Agarkar also stressed the importance of domestic cricket, saying, “Whenever the guys are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. That is the only way you will keep yourself sharp.”

India will open the series against Australia on October 19 with the ODIs, followed by the five-match T20I leg starting October 29.

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