Overview
- On January 3 the BCCI announced a 15-man squad for three ODIs starting January 11 in Vadodara, appointing Shubman Gill captain and naming Shreyas Iyer vice-captain subject to Centre of Excellence fitness clearance.
- KL Rahul remains the first-choice wicketkeeper with Rishabh Pant retained as backup, a role call that has revived questions about choosing a second keeper over a specialist batter.
- Mohammed Siraj earned a recall while Mohammed Shami was left out despite recent domestic appearances, drawing sharp criticism from Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
- Former players including Ravichandran Ashwin and Irfan Pathan challenged the omission of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who struck a century in his last ODI and has strong Vijay Hazare Trophy form.
- Hardik Pandya was not selected after the COE did not clear him to bowl a full 10-over quota, as selectors continue to emphasize long-term planning with younger pacers and Nitish Kumar Reddy as the seam-bowling all-round option.