Perth, Australia – Australia won the toss and elected to field first in the opening One Day International (ODI) against India at Perth Stadium. This match marks the beginning of Shubman Gill's tenure as the full-time ODI captain for India. The series is a three-match series, with the matches scheduled to be played on October 19 in Perth, October 23 in Adelaide, and October 25 in Sydney.
The decision to bowl first was made by Australian captain Mitchell Marsh in overcast conditions. For Australia, Matthew Renshaw and Mitchell Owen are making their ODI debuts. India also has one debutant, Nitish Kumar Reddy.
This series marks the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the ODI squad after a seven-month absence. They last played for India during the Champions Trophy final in March. Rohit Sharma achieved a milestone, playing in his 500th international match. It is the first time in a decade that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are playing under a different leader.
Gill acknowledged the significance of the occasion and his new role. Before the match, Gill said he has big shoes to fill in to carry forward the legacy of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He also mentioned that he had numerous conversations with Rohit and Virat on how to take the team forward.
Australia has included Matt Short in the lineup, who will bat at number three, as he did in the T20 series in New Zealand earlier this month.
Playing XIs:
- India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
- Australia: (Yet to be confirmed).
Match Updates:
India is currently batting at 25/3 in 8.5 overs. Early wickets fell, including that of Shubman Gill, who was caught behind off Nathan Ellis for 10 runs. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 8 runs. Rain has interrupted play.
The series is considered an opportunity for both India and Australia to fine-tune their combinations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
