Key points
- Head coach Gautam Gambhir remains silent on the duo’s future as new captain Shubman Gill leads the ODI squad for the first time in Australia.
- The ODI series precedes a five-match T20I leg, serving as preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
ISLAMABAD: Cricket fans may be witnessing the final chapter of two modern-day greats, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as India prepare to face Australia in a three-match ODI series beginning Sunday in Perth.
With nearly 600 ODIs between them, both stalwarts, aged 36 and 38 respectively, remain active only in the 50-over format, and their future beyond this series remains uncertain.
Speculation over their retirement has intensified, especially after head coach Gautam Gambhir declined to confirm whether the veteran duo would continue under new ODI captain Shubman Gill, who will lead India for the first time in Australia. Kohli and Rohit last represented India in the Champions Trophy final in March, where India triumphed over New Zealand.
If this series does mark their swansong, the farewell stage could not be grander. India’s second and third encounters of the series in Perth, Adelaide (October 23), and Sydney (October 25) are expected to draw packed crowds, many from Australia’s vibrant Indian diaspora eager to salute two of the game’s greatest batsmen.
Meanwhile, Australia’s squad will feature several returning Test players, using the ODIs as preparation for the upcoming Ashes series. Among them are Travis Head, and veteran fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, with the latter making his first international appearance of the Australasian summer after retiring from T20 cricket.
Marnus Labuschagne, drafted in as a late replacement for injured all-rounder Cameron Green, will look to carry his blazing domestic form into the white-ball arena. Labuschagne has scored back-to-back Sheffield Shield centuries for Queensland, reigniting his bid for an Ashes recall after being dropped for the West Indies tour.
Cricket Australia confirmed that Green has been sidelined due to “low-grade side soreness”, while captain Pat Cummins continues to recover from a lower back bone stress injury, casting doubt over his participation in the Ashes opener. Regular wicketkeeper Alex Carey and spinner Adam Zampa will also miss the Perth ODI, with Josh Philippe and Matt Kuhnemann stepping in as replacements.
The ODIs will be followed by a five-match T20I series starting October 29 in Canberra, as both nations fine-tune their squads ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
For fans, the series is more than just another bilateral contest, it could be the last dance of Kohli and Rohit, two icons whose partnership has defined Indian cricket for more than a decade.
India Tour of Australia
(October 19 – November 8, 2025)
1st ODI: October 19 – Perth Stadium, Perth
2nd ODI: October 23 – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd ODI: October 25 – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
1st T20I: October 29 – Manuka Oval, Canberra
2nd T20I: October 31 – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
3rd T20I: November 2 – Bellerive Oval, Hobart
4th T20I: November 6 – Bill Pippen Oval, Gold Coast
5th T20I: November 8 – The Gabba, Brisbane
