Perth, Australia - All eyes are set on the Perth Stadium as India and Australia clash in the first of a three-match ODI series on October 19, 2025. The match marks the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the ODI squad after a seven-month hiatus, but also marks the beginning of Shubman Gill's tenure as full-time ODI captain.
Gill's captaincy debut adds an interesting dynamic to the series. While he has previously led the Test team to a 2-0 victory against the West Indies, this series marks his first opportunity to captain the ODI side. The young captain will be looking to start his stint with a win against a strong Australian side.
However, the spotlight is firmly on the return of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The two legends last played for India in March 2025 during the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. Their return comes after a significant period away from international cricket, and their performance in this series will be crucial as they aim to solidify their places in the squad for the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
Both Sharma and Kohli have a strong record playing in Australia. Sharma has accumulated 990 runs in 19 ODIs in Australia, including four centuries, with a high score of 171 not out in Perth in 2016. Kohli has 802 runs in 18 ODIs in Australia, including three centuries. Their experience and past success in Australian conditions will be invaluable to the team.
The return of Sharma and Kohli also raises questions about the team's composition and the roles of other players. With the emergence of talented youngsters, the pressure is on the senior players to perform and justify their inclusion in the squad. The team management, under Gautam Gambhir, has been giving opportunities to young players in other formats, and a similar approach in ODIs could be on the horizon.
Australia will be without key players such as Josh Inglis and Cameron Green due to injury. Mitchell Marsh will captain the Australian ODI squad. Marnus Labuschagne has been named as Green's replacement. Matt Renshaw and Mitch Owen are set to make their ODI debuts.
The first ODI begins at 9:00 AM IST at the Perth Stadium. The toss will take place at 8:30 AM IST. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
Predicted Playing XIs:
- India: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana.
- Australia: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Matt Renshaw, Matt Short, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
