A rare, if not unprecedented, scenario will play out over the next month in Indian cricket, courtesy of the Asian Games in Japan and an ODI series at home. The T20I and ODI squads will be in action in two different parts of the world almost simultaneously — and, on one occasion, even on the same day.
It happened three years ago — Ruturaj Gaikwad’s T20I team was in China for the Guangzhou Asian Games while Rohit Sharma’s men were in India preparing for the ODI World Cup. Some 28 years ago, two Indian ODI sides played on the same day — one in the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia and the other in the Sahara Cup in Toronto. The current scenario, therefore, is not a first, but certainly an unusual one.
The first ODI against the West Indies is on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram, while India’s first T20I at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya — a quarter-final — is on September 28. The second ODI in Guwahati is on September 30, followed by the Asian Games semi-final on October 1. The clash is even more striking on October 3, when the third ODI coincides with the Asian Games gold and bronze medal matches. India, being the favourites, should feature in one of those matches.
Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal in focus
The concurrent schedule presents an opportunity for the national selectors to try different players in the ODI series as part of the buildup to next year’s World Cup. In the Shreyas Iyer-led T20I squad, there are six players who have been part of the last ODI squad, in the UK — Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan and captain Iyer himself. The selectors have decisions to make when they meet next week (around September 17).
One of them could be Rishabh Pant. With Ishan, arguably the flavour of the season in Indian cricket, away in Japan, Pant should be in contention for the second wicketkeeper’s slot behind KL Rahul. In a recent podcast, Aakash Chopra and Suresh Raina made a case for Pant’s inclusion in the ODI side, calling him an X-factor.
After being in the ODI squad for a couple of series, including last year’s Champions Trophy, Pant found himself out in the cold without getting a chance. With Ishan’s strong resurgence, Pant’s chances have faded, but with Ishan unavailable, it may be time for the selectors to course-correct. Pant faces competition from Dhruv Jurel, who is known to have the support of the team management.
For Iyer’s position, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored a century in his last ODI innings (in December 2025 vs South Africa), could come in contention even though he has been named captain of the India A one-day squad to face Australia A. The selectors are also expected to try Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was unluckily left out for the tour of the UK. He has two centuries in his last three ODIs, including the last match.
Axar Patel’s place could be taken by veteran Ravindra Jadeja, while Mohammed Siraj and Mayank Yadav/Ashok Sharma could take the places of Bumrah and Arshdeep and join Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav to form the pack attack.
The ODI series would have been an ideal opportunity to bring back Hardik Pandya, who has featured in an international match since March, but his injury rules him out. He is a conditional pick for the India A series against Australia starting October 6 and understandably, he cannot be selected for a series beginning on September 27.
Despite the absence of some star players, the series will not be shorn of glitter, as Ro-Ko (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) will be back, as will India’s Test and ODI captain, Shubman Gill.
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