New leader Gill to grow with return of Kohli, Rohit: Axar

Axar Patel believes Shubman Gill can replicate his stunning red-ball captaincy debut in his first ODI series at the helm with his development as a leader also set to be boosted by the return of veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Champion batters Kohli and Rohit are set to play their final international matches on Australian soil over the next week as part of India's squad for the three-match series in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.

The pair have retired from Test and T20 international cricket but appear determined to push on in the ODI format until the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa.

After replacing Rohit as Test skipper following his retirement earlier this year, Gill also assumed the nation's ODI captaincy from the 38-year-old ahead of this month's tour of Australia.

Axar believes Gill is the ideal man to lead India through a period of transition in the build-up to the quadrennial global showpiece in 2027 with rising stars Yashasvi Jaiswal (23), Harshit Rana (23), Nitish Kumar Reddy (22) and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel (24) included to face Australia alongside Rohit and Kohli (36).

And if his first ODI campaign in charge follows a similar script to his debut series as Test captain against England earlier this year, it could spell bad news for Australia.

Gill hit four centuries, including a double, in their five Tests against England, with his 754 runs second to only Don Bradman (810 in the 1936-37 Ashes) for the most prolific series by a captain.

"If that happens (again), I think that's a perfect start as captain for Shubman Gill," India allrounder Axar told reporters at Perth Stadium on Friday.

"If you see that he's doing well as a captain, he's not (feeling) pressurised … I think that's the good quality of a leader, and I think he can achieve that success in his first ODI series (as captain).

"For Gill, it is a perfect opportunity that Virat and Rohit are around. It's good for his captaincy to grow, that they can give their inputs so he can learn from them."

Axar said the exposure of younger players in the Indian Premier League was helping to speed up the national side's transition as it meant they were "ready to go" when they stepped up to international level.

India are the clear No.1-ranked side in the men's 50-over format and are undefeated in their past eight matches. Australia, meanwhile, have lost eight of their past 10 ODIs and are in a transition phase of their own following the recent retirements of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marnus Stoinis.

"We have some experienced, older players and then some younger players and we are gelling together," said Axar.

"Now the younger players are coming in, so obviously we know this is a transition of the Indian cricket team.

"We are talking regularly about how we, the Indian cricket team, are growing and the way we have to play.

"For younger players, because they are playing IPL, I think they are ready to go straight away."

After this series, India won't return to Australia for one-day internationals before the 2027 World Cup, meaning the three matches are set to be the last time Kohli and Rohit will be in action down under.

The third ODI at the SCG is already sold out, while fewer than 5000 tickets remain for both Sunday's series opener in Perth and next Thursday's second ODI in Adelaide.

The senior duo both had extended hits in the Perth Stadium nets on Thursday and Friday as they rejoined the Indian squad for the first time since February's Champions Trophy triumph.

Kohli, who will be out to add to his record 51 ODI centuries, looked sharp in both sessions and stopped to sign autographs and take selfies with fans who had watched him train through the fence on Thursday evening.

Australian opener Travis Head said the pair's final tour of Australia added an extra element to what was already a big series against a "highly skilled" Indian side.

"Two quality players, two of the great white-ball players – Virat probably is the greatest white-ball player and Rohit's not far behind," he said on Friday.

"(As) someone who opens the batting in the same format, I hold huge regard for Rohit and what he's been able to do.

"I'm sure they'll be missed at some stage, but I think they're both going to 2027, they're both trying to get that World Cup and it's great for the game that they're still playing (in this) format."

Australia v India ODIs 2025

Australia squad: 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. Game two onwards: Adam Zampa, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis

India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal

October 19: First ODI v India, Perth Stadium, Perth, 2:30pm AEDT

October 23: Second ODI v India, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 2:30pm AEDT

October 25: Third ODI v India, SCG, Sydney, 2:30pm AEDT

All matches live via Kayo Sports and Foxtel