Indian ODI skipper Rohit Sharma all set for Australia tour. Where's Virat Kohli?

Dubai: Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma is all set to lead the India A team in the upcoming ODI series against Australia A, scheduled later this year. Rohit cleared the mandatory pre-season fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday, marking his return to competitive cricket ahead of a packed international calendar.

However, questions remain over the absence of Virat Kohli, who is currently training in London. While Kohli did not attend the Bengaluru fitness camp, sources close to the BCCI suggest that he is expected to undergo the fitness assessment in the coming days. If cleared, he could also be named in the India A squad alongside Rohit.

India A and Australia A are scheduled to play three one-day matches in Kanpur on September 30, October 3, and October 5. These matches are being seen as key preparation fixtures ahead of India’s full tour of Australia later in the year.

In addition to Rohit, several key players attended the fitness test in Bengaluru, including Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Mohammad Siraj, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shardul Thakur.

All the players comfortably cleared the test, signaling strong pre-season form and fitness levels.

Post the assessment, Shubman Gill, who has been named vice-captain of the India A squad, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Jitesh Sharma, will now head to Dubai to join the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Meanwhile, Sundar and Jaiswal have been named among the standby players for the Asia Cup.

This marks a significant return for Rohit, who last featured for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025. Earlier this year, both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from Test and T20 Internationals, shifting their focus entirely to the ODI format, with an eye on the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2027 ODI World Cup.