India vs Australia Live Score, 1st ODI: Nitish Reddy to debut; Virat Kohli takes blessings; Rohit Sharma folds hands

Now, India return to 50-over action, and everything has changed. Suddenly, this set of three matches is one of the most awaited for fans in the subcontinent. They might be three matches that don’t really matter too much in the grand scheme of things just yet, ut sentimentally, it means so much to so many fans. There are two simple reasons. One is named Virat Kohli, and the other is named Rohit Sharma. Indian fans haven’t seen either in action in an Indian shirt since that fateful match in the Champions Trophy final either, and for both players, so much has transpired in the subsequent months.

Kohli finally lifted an IPL trophy with his beloved Royal Challengers Bengaluru, an emotional moment that followed a tournament that saw both Kohli and Rohit announce in quick succession that they were taking a step back from Test cricket, the most historic of the three formats of the game. Combine this with their T20I retirement, announced upon the lifting of the T20I World Cup in Barbados last year, and the writing appeared on the wall very quickly: this pair of Indian batters, India’s greatest in the modern day, were relegated to just one format of the game.

And this is that format. Currently India’s best, and historically the one that has seen the best that both Kohli and Rohit have had to offer. Kohli is in the conversation for the best batter in this format, and has racked up the most centuries; Rohit has the highest score of all time in ODI cricket, with 264* being only one of his three double-centuries in the format. In many ways, these two batters have redefined ODI cricket in India, and it’s a matter of wonder that they haven’t had more silverware success.

And it is therefore that this three-match series on Aussie soil is being played in a very particular context. How Rohit and Virat perform is what will attract all the eyes: the chances for them to be seen in an Indian shirt will only grow slimmer, as their appearance at the 2027 World Cup remains something of a question mark. Kohli still seems to be in his pomp, but Rohit has been stripped of the ODI team’s captaincy. The future for neither is completely clear, but if they have to take it game-by-game, series-by-series, as chief selector Ajit Agarkar insists they must, no match is too small.

With that, the series itself comes into focus. Shubman Gill, filling some big shoes, in his first captaincy stint in white ball cricket after having led India in an impressive fashion in the red ball game thus far. India are at full strength minus Jasprit Bumrah, their talismanic fast bowler earning a rest – but the rest of the big show is there. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj making his way back to the ODI team. Plenty of firepower for this Indian team as they get the show started in Perth. They might just be starting as favourites: even at full strength, they are just a little bit better than Australia, despite what that infamous 2023 World Cup final might indicate.

And Australia are not at full strength. The biggest miss is their captain Pat Cummins, but there are plenty of names also missing for a team in transition. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head form a deadly opening combination, but after that, there are more question marks than answers, right through the lineup. What does their best lineup look like, and who are their best bowlers? Even the likes of Alex Carey and Josh Inglis are expected to miss this match, and Cameron Green is ruled out: even calling them threadbare might be slightly too generous. Australia begin this series at home with their backs against the wall, but they have proven that you never count them out. There are still plenty of world-beaters in there.

Perth hosts the first of these three matches, and to make things just a touch more dramatic, weather is expected to play a little bit of a role. Who can gain an early advantage in this series that means just that little bit more?

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