The scene at Optus Stadium felt almost scripted. Virat Kohli was pounding throw-downs in his usual, meticulous fashion while, one net along, Rohit Sharma worked through a quieter, rhythm-based session. A few minutes later their heir apparent, Shubman Gill, ducked under the tape and joined them. New captain, old captains, three nets in a row – the transition laid out in plain sight.
India’s three-match ODI series against Australia, starting tomorrow, is Gill’s first in charge of the 50-over side. He has already impressed in Tests – 754 runs at 75.40 against England was a statement – yet the white-ball brief comes with different pressures. Having Kohli and Rohit around should help to lighten that load, and the early signs in Perth suggest the group has slipped into a comfortable rhythm.
“This is a great experience for Shubman too. Rohit bhai and Virat bhai and everyone is here, this is part of the transition process,” Axar Patel said on the outfield. The left-arm all-rounder, recalled ahead of Ravindra Jadeja for this trip, believes the blend can be mutually beneficial. “You have older players, and if the young players come with their experience, then they can learn from the seniors and understand how to play at this level, what they can do and what they can’t do.”
The public interest, as ever, tilts towards the senior pair. Perth’s small but persistent gathering of Indian supporters chanted Kohli’s name whenever he surfaced, and Rohit posed for selfies on his slow walk back to the dressing-room. Yet Kohli, often intense, spent Friday cracking jokes with team-mates after a 40-minute hit, the laughter carrying across the practice square. It felt lighter than tours past.
Axar sees that as a positive. “It’s perfect that Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are here and Shubman is doing the captaincy. It will help in Shubman’s growth as a captain. It’s good if young and experienced play together.”
Performance, of course, will dictate how smoothly the hand-over is judged. Rohit and Kohli have not played an ODI since the World Cup final defeat, and this could be their last appearance in the format on Australian soil. Axar, though, is convinced they are match-ready. “If you look at their form, the way the two of them have prepared – they trained at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and also played practice games – I think they are ready performance-wise,” he said. “They look in good touch in the training sessions. And if you talk about their physical fitness, of course everyone has passed their fitness tests, I think they are ready to go.”
Gill, 26, now has to shape a side that can peak at the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa. The core looks settled – Gill, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul give batting depth, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj remain the new-ball constants – but there are slots up for grabs. Axar’s own brief looks busy: likely No.5 with the bat, four or five overs with the ball, plus the fielding standards that pushed him ahead of Jadeja this tour.
Assistant coach Paras Mhambrey hinted the XI is “all but locked”, though he expects to “tweak the balance” across the three matches. That could mean a look at Prasidh Krishna’s extra pace on a traditionally fast Optus surface, or Tilak Varma’s left-hand option in the middle order, but Gill’s first instinct is stability. One senior staffer described the approach as “evolution, not revolution” – an understandable stance when two of the format’s modern greats are still around to guide it.
India’s immediate challenge is Australia’s own transitional side, missing several first-choice bowlers through injury. Yet even in a shorter series the visitors will view this week as a staging post: beginning the long road to 2027, while affording two giants of the past decade what may be a final Australian curtain call. It is a delicate balancing act, but Gill might not get a kinder environment in which to learn.
