Shubman begins ODI captaincy stint with Kohli, Rohit by his side in Australia

Even as the spotlight falls on the return of the legendary duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the Indian side, Shubman Gill’s first appearance as a full-time One-Day International (ODI) captain brings a fresh dimension to India’s three-match series against Australia, starting Sunday at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

Kohli and Rohit are set to play their first ODI since the ICC Champions Trophy final in March, marking a significant reunion at the top level. Remarkably, the duo last featured together under a different captain nine years ago, during India’s 2016 tour of New Zealand.

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Their comeback follows a full cycle in which India experimented with new combinations and a younger core across formats. Both senior pros have been preparing meticulously for their return. Rohit, who appeared noticeably leaner during recent training sessions in Bengaluru, has been working on sharpening his fitness, while Kohli spent time training privately in London to rediscover his match rhythm.

Their main task now will be to regain form quickly after a long layoff since the Indian Premier League (IPL), their last competitive outing.

Facing Australia, a team against whom both have scripted some of their most memorable innings, offers a fitting stage for their comeback. For Rohit, however, this series marks a different chapter, returning to the setup purely as a senior player without captaincy responsibilities for the first time in several years.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar suggested that the team management would reassess player roles after this series.

“They are part of the squad at the moment… Once they start playing, then you assess,” Agarkar said during an event.

“But we have some ideas, and we’ll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing,” he added at the NDTV World Summit.

Gill’s leadership debut

The focus, though, is firmly on Shubman Gill, who begins his tenure as India’s full-time ODI captain, a role that signals the start of a new leadership cycle. At 26, Gill leads a well-balanced side still anchored by the experience of Kohli and Rohit.

Having already impressed as a batter in overseas conditions, Gill now faces the challenge of extending that maturity to his captaincy. India’s 75 per cent win record under Rohit in ODIs sets the benchmark for the young skipper.

Against Mitchell Marsh’s Australia, even without the injured regular skipper Pat Cummins, Gill’s leadership will be tested early.

Gill is expected to continue opening the innings alongside Rohit, with Yashasvi Jaiswal available as backup. Kohli will slot in at No. 3, followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who will don the wicketkeeping gloves. With Hardik Pandya unavailable, young Nitish Kumar Reddy is in line for his ODI debut as an all-rounder.

In the pace department, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are competing to join Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will take charge of the spin attack.

Australia, meanwhile, will look to Cooper Connolly, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Renshaw to provide stability behind Marsh and Travis Head. Despite the absence of Cummins, the bowling attack has a lot of experienced arms in Mitchell Starc, leading the pack alongside the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis.

Squads:

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc.

India: Shubman Gill (c), 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.