The BCCI announced an 18-member squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, introducing newcomers Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Exclusions of notable players Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami are due to injuries. Fan outrage ensued over the exclusion of in-form batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad is currently the leading run-scorer for Maharashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tournament.