As the Indian cricket team gears up for an exciting home ODI series against the West Indies, starting on September 27 and concluding on October 3, a new-look squad has been named with Shubman Gill as the captain, KL Rahul as the vice-captain, and maiden callers like Auqib Nabi and Naman Dhir in the mix. However, a surprising set of star players has been left out of the squad.

The players have been left out as they have accepted a more important assignment of spearheading India's gold medal hopes at the Asian Games 2026.

Here's a breakdown of the star players and their form before being left out of the series:

This way, we can understand why these incredible athletes have been chosen to lead India at the Asian Games 2026

1. Shreyas Iyer

The vice-captain of the Indian ODI team during the recent series played against England, Shreyas Iyer, faced a rollercoaster of a time at the Birmingham and Cardiff matches. Having opened the innings and scored a solid 35 off 53 balls in the series opener before following it up with another well-made 66 off 71 in the second match, the right-hander went on to record a three-ball duck in the Lord's finale.

Despite the struggle, Iyer has a wealth of experience at his disposal, having amassed 3136 runs in 76 innings at an average of 45.44 and a strike rate of 97.84, including five centuries and 24 fifties. Iyer is set to lead the T20I side at the Asian Games 2026 and will be a prized asset in the multi-nation event.

2. Ishan Kishan

While explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan did not have much to offer during the three-match ODI series in England, having batted at No. 7 in the second match and remaining not out on 14 off 12 balls at Lord's, he has been in fine form in other events. The southpaw managed only one run off eight deliveries in the Cardiff match before managing 14 off 12 at Lord's.

Kishan is likely to return to the No. 3 position during the Asian Games 2026 and has been in fine touch, scoring 1107 runs in 32 ODIs at an impressive average of 42.57 and a strike rate of 107.05, including two centuries and seven fifties.

3.Jasprit Bumrah

India's fastest-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been in excellent form during the first two ODIs in England, managing to take 1-31 (9 overs) in the series opener in Birmingham before recording identical statistics of 1-45 (10 overs) in the next match in Cardiff. Unfortunately, the injury to his left knee kept him sidelined during the final match of the ODI series.

Having proven his credentials during the continental event, Bumrah will be a key bowler for the Asian Games 2026 and has an outstanding record of 151 wickets in 90 innings at an average of 23.74 and an economy of 4.58, including two five-wicket hauls.

4. Arshdeep Singh

Left-arm orthodox quick Arshdeep Singh has to wait for his turn to shine during the ODI series as he was included in the line-up only for the final match in Lord's as a substitute for the injured Jasprit Bumrah. However, the young bowler did not have the best of days, conceding 72 runs in 10 overs without managing to take a wicket.

Arshdeep is expected to partner Bumrah at the top of the bowling order during the Asian Games 2026 and has been in decent form, managing to pick up 30 wickets in 18 ODIs at an average of 25.16 and an economy of 5.49, including a five-wicket haul.

5.Axar Patel

The all-rounder Axar Patel was one of the standout performers of the first match of the ODI series between India and England, scoring a well-crafted 57 off 52 balls and taking four wickets to finish with figures of 4-62. However, he did not manage to repeat the performance, managing only 34 runs off 46 deliveries in the next match. Patel also picked up 1-35 in the first match in Cardiff before bowling 0-61 in the final at Lord's.

Axar has the ability to contribute with both bat and ball and has recorded 80 wickets in 74 ODIs at an economy of 4.54 while scoring 918 runs at a strike rate of 92.26.