With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli all set to return after a long break of eight months, the Indian team is focusing on rare ODIs against Australia.
After a long gap of eight months, the Indian cricket team, the world number one in ODIs, would return to the 50-over format against Australia on Sunday. The last time India played an ODI was in March in the ICC Champions Trophy final. Since then, a lot has happened. Rohit Sharma is no longer the captain. Instead, it is Shubman Gill who will make his ODI captaincy debut as India begin a new era. But for fans, it will be a moment of joy as Rohit and Virat Kohli return after a long break since announcing their retirement from Tests. For Gill, however, the first challenge will be fielding a call on Kuldeep Yadav’s place in the India Playing XI for the 1st ODI in Perth.
Although ODIs are not currently the focus, Team India does not have the luxury of experimenting too much. They face world champions Australia and India have three ODI specialists in their team: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. With three of them present and Gill as the new captain, the Top 4 takes place without any possibility of tinkering. KL Rahul is the first choice keeper-batsman in ODIs. Therefore, it ranks directly at #5. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, India will want to go for Nitish Kumar Reddy, sealing the Top 6. The last five spots in the Indian XI are the ones that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Gill can cobble together.
The return of Rohit-Kohli
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two pillars of Indian cricket, especially in ODIs, will return after their longest break. However, in the twilight of their careers, Ro-Ko will take on more of a mentoring role. Rohit will have to adapt to a new role, no longer being captain, as Shubman Gill takes over.
However, for both players, it will be about getting rid of the monkey. The last time the two were in Australia was the last time they both played Test cricket. Rohit had to retire after an average of 6.20. Kohli started with a hundred in Perth. But over the next seven rounds, he averaged 12.14. Before the England tour, both ended their Test careers. ODIs, however, are different. Both are the undisputed kings of the format. If Kohli has the highest number of centuries in ODIs, Rohit has the highest individual score. But without competitive cricket for eight months, both are bound to be rusty.
Since the 2023 World Cup final, India have played only 14 ODIs and the two have featured in 11 of them. While Kohli’s average dropped to 37.00 after a World Cup record 847 runs, Rohit continued his new aggressive approach, batting at 117.69. Now things are different. While Virat Kohli may not have much competition for the role he plays, Rohit, without the captaincy immunity, might be forced to compete with Yashasvi Jaiswal. His younger teammate from Mumbai can play with the same pattern and has the advantage of being left-handed.
Ro-Ko since the 2023 World Cup final
| Player | Hostels | Works | Avg. | RS | Best | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 10 | 333 | 37 | 84.3 | 100 | 1 | 2 |
| Rohit Sharma | 11 | 459 | 41.72 | 117.69 | 119 | 1 | 3 |
The question is how much time will both have before the 2027 World Cup? According to BCCI selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, both are non-committal regarding the World Cup in South Africa. While others, including Dinesh Karthik and Abhishek Nayar, have come up with different stories, none are safe now. Rohit-Kohli will have to perform to stay ahead of the competition. Both had extended net sessions in Perth over the first two days.
Washington Sundar vs. Kuldeep Yadav
With the Top 6 and Axar Patel likely to come in at No. 7 in the Indian XI for the 1st ODI, there is a selection dilemma. In fact, Gambhir will have a tough task ahead. With Kuldeep Yadav in great form, should he sacrifice his favorite all-rounder Washington Sundar to Perth?
Sundar provides depth in batting. But in Kuldeep, India will be looking for a specialist spinner who can use his variety and extract some turn even on the Perth pitch. Since the 2025 Asia Cup, Kuldeep has taken 29 wickets in 11 innings across T20Is and Tests at an average of 13.51 and a strike rate of 19.7. Although ODI is a different format, it will be a tough task for Gambhir to keep him on the bench. Sundar could instead be benched.
Pace bowling combination
Without Jasprit Bumrah in the ODIs, India will turn to another in-form pacer Mohd Siraj. Although he did not make the Asia Cup squad, his exploits in England and against West Indies at home will make him a favorite to start the 1st ODI IND vs AUS. Against West Indies, Siraj picked up 10 wickets in four innings, including 4/40.
With Siraj all set to return to the Indian XI for the 1st ODI, Gill-Gambhir will have to take a call on the two remaining pacers. Arshdeep Singh, who did not get much playing time in the Asia Cup, is likely to return with Bumrah’s absence. Arshdeep last played an ODI in February 2025 against England.
For the other place, it will be a play-off between Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. The Karnataka pacer was practicing with the white ball during the IND vs WI Test series. While Krishna might be more effective with his pace and bounce, Gambhir might go with Rana for his blind faith in his batting abilities. If Kuldeep comes in, Rana will likely get the nod to have slightly better batting depth in the 1st ODI IND vs AUS.
India scheduled to play XI, 1st ODI
- Shubman Gill (C)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer (VC)
- KL Rahul (WK)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Harshit Rana
- Mohammed Siraj
- Arshdeep Singh
Indian ODI squad for Australia series
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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