Follow UsIndia haven’t played a single ODI since clinching the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai back in February-March. All eyes will now be on the upcoming three-match ODI series in Australia, starting October 19 (Sunday), especially with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the national colours for the first time since that tournament.
The two stalwarts have retired from T20Is and Tests, leaving ODIs as their only active format. Much has been speculated recently about their future, particularly with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. The mega-event will be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, by which time Kohli will be 39 and Rohit 40.
While both superstars have been named in the squad for the Australia series, a notable change has already occurred: Shubman Gill has been handed the ODI captaincy, replacing Rohit. This signals that the management could be planning a transition ahead of 2027, which puts a spotlight on how Kohli and Rohit approach this series.
The three ODIs are scheduled in Perth (Oct 19), Adelaide (Oct 23), and Sydney (Oct 25), and will effectively serve as the first step in India’s preparation for the 2027 World Cup.
Although there’s no guarantee that Kohli and Rohit will feature in the next World Cup, they are certain to play in India’s XI against Australia. Rohit will open alongside Gill, while Kohli will occupy his trademark No.3 spot.
Two of India’s strongest middle-order batters, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, are slated for the next two positions, with Axar Patel potentially slotting in between them to break the string of right-handers in the lineup, similar to his role in the Champions Trophy.
Ravindra Jadeja (dropped) and Hardik Pandya (injured) are absent, and head coach Gautam Gambhir, known for valuing batting depth, may opt for all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar to fill the remaining spots in the batting lineup.
With Jasprit Bumrah rested, India’s pace attack could feature Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, supported by Kuldeep Yadav as the wicket-taking spinner. Players like Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to start on the bench for the first ODI in Perth.
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj