 "Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from T20Is and Tests already. Image: PTI")
Australia captain Pat Cummins has called the upcoming ODI series against India a special one as it could be the last time local fans get to see Indian legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in action on Australian soil.
Rohit and Kohli have both been named in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series beginning October 19 in Perth. This will be the first time in more than nine months that the veteran duo will play for India, having last featured in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in February.
After that tournament, both announced their retirement from Test cricket but confirmed their availability for ODIs. They had already retired from T20Is after India’s victory in the T20 World Cup last year.
Speaking to JioHotstar, Cummins said, “Virat and Rohit have been part of almost every Indian side for the last 15 years, so this might be the last chance for the Australian public to see them playing out here.”
He added that the Indian pair has always brought excitement and energy to the contests between the two sides. “They’ve obviously been champions of the game for India and are always very well supported. Whenever we play them, the crowd gets loud,” Cummins said.
Meanwhile, Cummins will not be available for the ODI series against India due to injury concerns, and is also likely to miss the opening Ashes Test against England. “It’s a shame to miss the white-ball series against India. I think the crowds are going to be huge. There’s already a lot of excitement built up here in Australia,” he said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia vs Australia ODI series schedule
October 19: 1st ODI Australia v India, Perth Stadium, Perth, 9:00 AM IST
October 23: 2nd ODI Australia v India, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 9:00 AM IST
October 25: 3rd ODI Australia v India, SCG, Sydney, 9:00 AM IST
India vs Australia: Squads
Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Philippe (wk), Mitch Owen, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Matthew Kuhnemann
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh