Even amid the emotional theme of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma‘s return to India fold, Shubman Gill’s maiden outing as full-time ODI skipper provides an equally compelling narrative to the first one-dayer against Australia in Perth on Sunday (October 19, 2025). Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are coming back to national colours after playing the Champions Trophy in March, and the dynamics of Indian cricket has changed irrevocably in these seven months.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma— at least in two formats — in this interim period. Australia (AUS) will host India (IND) in the first ODI of a three-match series on Sunday, October 19, in Perth. The series will consist of three ODIs, followed by five T20Is.
Australia and India are set to reignite one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries in the opening ODI of the 2025 series at Perth Stadium on October 19. The match promises high-intensity action, with both teams fielding new combinations and leaderships, as Shubman Gill leads India in his first full series as ODI captain while Mitchell Marsh continues his leadership tenure for the hosts.
AUS vs IND : Previous Performances
Australia has had a disappointing campaign in the 50-over format this year, including a 2-1 series loss to South Africa. They faced a defeat the last time they faced India in the format, losing the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final. The hosts will look to put the setbacks behind them, regroup, and start the home ODI series on a positive note.
India also last competed in ODIs during their triumphant Champions Trophy 2025 campaign and recently won the Asia Cup 2025 in T20 format. With Shubman Gill leading the team for the first time in the 50-over format, alongside experienced campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India will aim to carry their winning momentum into the opening ODI.
AUS vs IND : Head to Head
Australia and India have faced each other 152 times in ODIs. Australia lead the head-to-head with 84 wins while India have secured 58 victories and 10 matches have ended with no result.
| Matches Played | 152 |
| Won by Australia | 84 |
| Won by India | 58 |
| No Result | 10 |
| Tied | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | December 06, 1980 (India Won) |
| Most-recent Fixture | March 04, 2025 (India Won) |
AUS vs IND : Pitch and Weather Report
The Optus Stadium pitch is known for its pace and bounce, making it one of the toughest surfaces for batters early on. In the three ODIs played here, teams batting second have won twice, with the average first-innings total being only around 183. Fast bowlers tend to dominate, claiming five times as many wickets as spinners.
Batters must adapt quickly to the extra lift before launching into strokes. Once settled, however, stroke-makers can cash in later in the innings. Toss will be crucial, as teams prefer chasing under lights when the surface eases out. The weather forecast for Sunday looks favourable for cricket with partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures. A score around 260 could prove highly competitive given this venue’s track history.
The Perth Stadium generally favours pacers, offering extra bounce that can challenge batters. The batters must be cautious while attempting big shots as the extra bounce increases the likelihood of edges. Spinners typically receive minimal assistance from the pitch, so they will need to bowl with control and patience to be effective.
Albeit from a small sample size of three games spread over six years, Optus Stadium has been a relatively low-scoring ODI venue. Australia have been bundled out for 152 and 140 in their last two visits here in the format. There is generally something for everyone in the drop-in pitches although this is the first game at the ground since last season. The bigger factor could be the weather with showers forecast during the day.
AUS vs IND : Big Picture : A big start to a big summer as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli marks a comeback to cricket field
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are back. But will they make 2027? India have a new ODI captain. Pat’s not here, but his back is the talk of the nation. Australia have lost a key player to side soreness, although don’t panic is the word. Selectors are trying to balance red-ball preparation and white-ball results. It’s only the middle of October, but there’s plenty going on at the beginning of what could be the biggest cricket season ever down under.
But the challenge for these two giants is to shake off the accumulated rust post the IPL, their last competitive outing. It might just be a blessing for them that their return coincided with a series against Australia, a team that had cathartic influence during the course of their long careers.
In that context, the three-match ODI series can be considered as a barometer of their individual drive and willingness to travel still farther in their working lives as one-format players.
But unlike Kohli, Rohit Sharma needs to come to terms with his new role of being just a senior player. Rohit Sharma’s previous T20I and ODI outings ended with celebration after guiding the team to ICC trophies, and he was leading the side even in his last Test appearance in Melbourne.
If Virat Kohli can produce those brilliantly calibrated knocks and Rohit Sharma his incandescent shot-making up the order, then these two stalwarts can hope to hang on for long.
It will be fascinating to watch an old rivalry coming to life again as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will try to keep the Ro-Ko duo quiet once more. The celebrated cricketers will clearly be knowing that they no longer have the immunity of leadership role or luxury of time, as the current selectors and team management have no deep remorse in taking some harsh calls with future in mind, particularly the 2027 ODI World Cup.
For Australia, there are long, medium and short-term focuses as their summer begins in Perth: an eye on planning for the next ODI World Cup, the build-up to the Ashes and the hope that further key players don’t go down over the next few weeks, and then trying to win this series itself against a strong India side who got the better of them in the Champions Trophy semi-final earlier this year.
The final of that tournament, where India were crowned champions, was their most recent ODI. There’s been some significant change for them since then. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are single-format players and Shubman Gill is their captain in Tests and ODIs, an incredible workload in the modern game even if he will likely be managed across certain series. Jasprit Bumrah isn’t here for the ODIs, but will arrive for the T20Is.
Future is what Gill is expected to shape. But he will always have the looming figures of Kohli and Rohit behind him.The 26-year-old has already shown that he is capable of standing up to the legacy of Kohli as a batter during the away series against England.Now, Gill will have to match the standard set by Rohit as white ball formats skipper, justly reflected in India’s 75 per cent win ratio under him, highest in the country’s ODI history.
If he likes it or not, Gill will be judged against the achievements of Rohit in the limited-overs, and the Mitchell Marsh-led Australia offers him a daunting first stop despite the absence of premier pacer Pat Cummins.If he can ace this test, it will do a world of good for his confidence as a leader, which will in turn mirror his already fast developing batting.
Australia, who are a little more recently acquainted with this format having faced South Africa in August, had hoped to field their strongest possible side, at least for the start of this series, but they will be without various first-choice players. They are also still trying to settle down a batting line-up in the post Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell era.
Pat Cummins is the biggest injury-watch ahead of the Ashes, and more on his timeline will soon become clearer, while Josh Inglis (calf) will miss at least the first two matches and Cameron Green (side) the whole series. Adam Zampa (awaiting the birth of his second child) will be absent from Perth due the travel distances involved while Alex Carey (Ashes preparation) will link up in time for his hometown game in Adelaide.
Ticket sales for India’s visit across the three ODIs and five T20Is which follow have been huge and a crowd upwards of 50,000 is expected at Optus Stadium, a figure which has only been reached twice in the venue’s history.
AUS vs IND : Vital Stats that matters
- The last time Kohli and Rohit played under a different captain was nine years ago against New Zealand
- Australia have lost all three of their ODIs at Optus Stadium
- If Mitchell Starc plays in Perth it will be his first ODI since November 2024.
- Mitchell Marsh is one six away from reaching 100 ODI sixes.
- Travis Head requires 58 runs to complete 3000 ODI runs.
- Mitchell Starc needs 6 wickets to complete 250 ODI wickets.
- Rohit Sharma is 6 sixes short of 350 ODI sixes.
- Axar Patel requires 5 fours to complete 50 ODI fours.
- Shubman Gillhas amassed 447 runs in 8 ODIs in 2025 at an average of 63.85, with 2 hundreds and 2 fifties.
- Shreyas Iyer has compiled 424 runs in 8 ODIs this year at 53.00 average, including 4 half-centuries.
- Rohit Sharma has scored 302 runs in 8 ODIs at 37.75 average, including one hundred and one fifty.
- Virat Kohli has registered 275 runs in 7 ODIs at 45.83 average with one hundred and two fifties.
- Harshit Rana has taken 10 wickets in 5 ODIs at an economy of 5.69.
- Kuldeep Yadav has picked 9 wickets in 7 ODIs at an economy rate of 4.89.
- Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc in ODIs: 157 runs, 151 balls, 3 dismissals
- Kuldeep Yadav vs Marnus Labuschagne in ODIs: 99 runs 107 balls, 2 dismissals
- Travis Head has scored 297 runs in 8 ODIs in 2025 at an average of 49.50 and a strike rate of 128.01, including 1 century and 1 fifty.
- Mitchell Marsh has notched 206 runs in 3 ODIs in 2025 at 68.66 average with one hundred and one fifty.
- Ben Dwarshuis has taken 10 wickets in 5 ODIs this year at 5.60 economy.
- Nathan Ellis has picked 7 wickets in 7 ODIs this year at an economy of 4.88.
- Cooper Connolly has bagged 6 wickets in 3 ODIs in 2025 at 4.21 economy.
- Josh Hazlewood vs Virat Kohli in ODIs: 58 runs, 98 balls, 5 dismissals
- Travis Head vs Mohammed Siraj in ODIs: 72 runs, 51 balls, 2 dismissals
- Mitchell Marsh vs Axar Patel in ODIs: 22 runs, 25 balls, 0 dismissals
AUS vs IND : In the Spotlight : Travis Head and Virat Kohli
India supporters don’t need reminding of the performances Travis Head has put together in the past. Two centuries in last season’s Test series added to his trophy-defining knocks in the 2023 World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup.
For a little while during the Champions Trophy final earlier this year it looked like another could be forming but Varun Chakravarthy cut him off in the nick of time. These white-ball games are Head’s first matches of the home summer and a couple of decent scores would set him up for what’s ahead, although there remains a reasonably strong chance he will play the last Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes as well.
Well, who else could it be? Virat Kohli will suit up for India for the first time in seven months amid much speculation around the future of his international career. One minute, this tour may be it, the next he’s all in for 2027. Time will tell. Regardless, this will surely be his last visit to Australia as an international cricketer.
It’s a place that has played a major part in his storied career, with Optus Stadium being the scene of his last Test century. He has not always endeared himself to Australian fans, not least last season when things got heated in the latter stages of the Test series, but with the stadiums likely to have no shortage of Indian support over the next three matches he should get a warm reception.
AUS vs IND : Team News for Australia and India
Australia :
Australia will be led by Mitchell Marsh, who will open the innings alongside Travis Head. The home side have, however, suffered a major setback with Cameron Green ruled out due to a low-grade side strain sustained during training. Marnus Labuschagne has been drafted in as Green’s replacement and will slot in at No. 3.
The bowling attack will be spearheaded by Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis, all of whom bring different strengths to the lineup. Matthew Renshaw and Josh Phillippe will be vital in stabilizing the middle order while Cooper Connolly and Matthew Kuhnemann provide valuable all-round balance. Australia will look to use home conditions to their advantage and start the series with authority.
Matt Renshaw and Mitch Owen are set to make their ODI debuts in the middle order while Josh Philippe will play his first ODI since 2021 and his first as wicketkeeper. Mitchell Marsh said they would not go with an all-pace frontline attack which means left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who is covering for Zampa, will feature on home soil for the first time.
Australia, meanwhile, enter the contest looking to rebound from inconsistent ODI form, having lost three bilateral series earlier this year. They are missing several senior players but boast talented new faces like Cooper Connolly and Mitchell Owen.
The trio of Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Marsh remains the backbone of their lineup, while pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will be key weapons on a surface tailored for them. Historically, Perth’s fast and bouncy track suits Australian quicks, but their poor record at this very venue — three losses in as many ODIs — may loom large in their minds.
Australia Probable Playing XI : Mitchell Marsh (C), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Josh Phillipe (WK), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis
India :
India’s tour of Australia marks a crucial phase in their post-tournament transition, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning after a long rest period. Gill’s leadership will be under the microscope as he aims to find the perfect balance between youth and experience.
The squad includes attacking talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer alongside established anchors such as KL Rahul and Axar Patel. With Mohammed Siraj spearheading the pace attack along with Arshdeep Singh, India appear well-equipped to exploit the fast Perth surface. The batting order looks solid but will need early application against Australia’s fiery opening bowlers.
India will need to ponder who slots into the No. 8 role and whether they want the extra batting of Washington Sundar. Despite the team’s last ODI being in March they are set to have the same top six as the Champions Trophy final.
India, under the fresh leadership of Shubman Gill, will enter the series full of confidence after a commanding 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies at home. This will be Gill’s first assignment as ODI captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma, who returns to the side alongside Virat Kohli after their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win in Dubai earlier this year.
India’s newly appointed vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will play deputy to Gill while KL Rahul will take up wicketkeeping duties. The bowling lineup looks sharp, with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj handling the new ball and Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel providing spin options. With Harshit Rana also making an impression as a lively pace option, India appear well-balanced as they aim to draw first blood against the reigning world champions.
India Probable Playing XI : Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
AUS vs IND : Probable Best Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter — Rohit Sharma
Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma could be the key batter in this clash. With captaincy duties now handed to Shubman Gill, Rohit will have the freedom to play his natural attacking game. The experienced top-order batter, well-versed in ODI cricket, is particularly comfortable on Australian pitches and has the ability to dominate bowlers with ease.
Probable Best Bowler — Nathan Ellis
Australian right-arm pacer Nathan Ellis could be the key bowler in this clash. While his ODI performances so far have been inconsistent, he has the potential to deliver a match-defining spell against India in the opening fixture. His 10-over quota, especially in the death overs, will be crucial in building pressure and containing the opposition.
AUS vs IND : Match Prediction for Australia vs India
Case 1:
- Australia wins the toss and bowls first
- India powerplay score: 80-90
- India total score: 350-360
Case 2:
- India wins the toss and bowls first
- Australia powerplay score: 70-80
- Australia total score: 330-340
Match result: Team batting second will win the game.Some injuries and unavailability have hurt Australia’s combination. Their batting is a little inexperienced apart from the top order. India also have inexperienced pace attack but they have a good combination overall and we back them to win here.