Shubman Gill Captains New India Squad for 2027 World Cup

India have put a clear marker down for the next cycle. Shubman Gill will captain the ODI side as they begin laying the groundwork for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, with a squad that blends returning experience and fresh, untested talent.

This is not a token handover. It’s a statement. Gill, long viewed as the next batting pillar of Indian cricket, now takes charge of the format that will define the next four-year plan.

New Faces for a New Cycle

The selectors have cracked the door open for the next generation of quicks and batters.

Pacer Auqib Nabi has earned his maiden ODI call-up, a reward that’s been brewing since he travelled with the Test squad to Sri Lanka in August. He didn’t debut there, but his presence in that group clearly left an impression. Now he gets his shot in coloured clothing.

Alongside him, batter Naman Dhir also steps into the ODI arena for the first time. No frills, no slow introduction: a straight elevation to the national set-up as India look to widen their batting pool ahead of 2027.

These aren’t cosmetic changes. They’re auditions, under a young captain, in a cycle that has just begun.

Old Guard Returns

Amid the new blood, two familiar names re-emerge in the ODI frame.

Ruturaj Gaikwad returns to the Indian ODI set-up, having last featured in the home series against South Africa last year. His white-ball pedigree has never been in doubt; now he gets another chance to convert domestic and franchise form into a permanent international role.

Ravindra Jadeja is back as well, rejoining the ODI side for the first time since the series against New Zealand in January. His presence instantly deepens India’s balance — runs, wickets, and control in the field, all in one slot. For a team mapping out a long campaign to 2027, Jadeja’s return offers both stability and tactical flexibility.

Asian Games Shake-Up

While the ODI squad evolves, India have also been forced into late adjustments for their Asian Games plans.

Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the tournament with a side strain, a significant blow given his role as a specialist mystery spinner in T20 cricket. The reshuffle didn’t end there. Nitish Kumar Reddy, initially named in the Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn and will instead join the ODI series against West Indies, underlining how highly the management rates his all-round potential in the longer white-ball format.

To plug the Asian Games gap, Vipraj Nigam has been drafted in as Reddy’s replacement.

The updated squad for the T20I against Japan and the Asian Games reads:

Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wk), Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar, Yash Thakur.

It’s a group built for high-tempo cricket: power-hitters, multi-dimensional all-rounders, and a varied attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and framed by spin options like Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and, fitness permitting, Varun Chakravarthy.

Two squads, two formats, one clear direction. India are no longer just reacting to tournaments on the horizon; they’re plotting the entire path. The question now is simple: which of these new names will still be standing when the 2027 World Cup finally arrives?