Overview
- Selectors are expected to name a 15-member squad on Saturday for the three-match series starting January 11 in Vadodara, followed by games in Rajkot and Indore.
- Multiple reports indicate Rishabh Pant may miss selection, with his last ODI in August 2024 and a modest Vijay Hazare return of 121 runs in four innings including one fifty.
- KL Rahul remains the established ODI wicketkeeper as Ishan Kishan and Dhruv Jurel press claims through domestic form, even as Aakash Chopra urges that Pant not be dropped without a fair chance and Deep Dasgupta calls for role clarity.
- Shreyas Iyer has shown fitness progress at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, undertaking match-simulation sessions on January 2 and 5 and eyeing clearance for a potential return subject to final approval.
- Workload management could see Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah rested, with a Mohammed Shami recall under consideration according to reports, while R. Ashwin and Irfan Pathan use the moment to question ODI scheduling and series length ahead of 2027.