The emergence of T20I cricket has somewhat overshadowed the appeal of ODIs, with the 50-over format often grabbing headlines only during ICC events. However, the upcoming India vs Australia series has once again shifted the cricketing world's focus back to the one-dayers. It's rare for a three-match ODI series to carry so much significance, but the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with the dawn of Shubman Gill's era, has generated huge excitement, with all eyes on this pivotal transition phase in Indian cricket.
The BCCI has made a bold decision to remove Rohit from ODI captaincy despite him leading the Indian team to the Champions Trophy triumph in March this year. It came as a surprise to many since Rohit had previously expressed his intent to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup; yet the selection committee chose to begin the transition, handing the reins to Shubman Gill.
During the Champions Trophy, Kohli was in outstanding form, hitting a century against Pakistan and emerging as the leading run-scorer in the semi-final against Australia. Rohit, meanwhile, bounced back from a lean patch to play a match-winning innings against New Zealand in the final, reaffirming his knack for delivering on big occasions. India clinched the title, marking their second ICC trophy under his captaincy within a year.
Still, just after eight months, the duo's future is uncertain, and a lot will be at stake for both in the three-match ODI series against Australia. Under Gautam Gambhir's regime, India have been handing opportunities to young players in T20Is and Tests, and many believe it won't be long before he adopts a similar approach in the 50-over format.
The last time Kohli and Rohit travelled to Australia, it ended up being their final Test series, as the lacklustre performances planted the seeds for their retirements from the format a few months later. Despite scoring a century in the opening Test, Kohli ended up with just 190 runs in five matches. The Australian pacers, particularly Scott Boland, exposed his vulnerability on the fifth stump line ball outside off, which drew him a lot of scrutiny. It was even worse for Rohit, who even had to drop himself for the Sydney Test despite being the skipper. He managed to get just 31 runs in five innings.
The format has changed, but this time the two stalwarts face even greater pressure, having expressed their intentions to chase the 2027 World Cup, while the current team management and selection committee remain uncertain about their prospects.
Rohit has scored 1,328 runs in 30 ODIs in Australia, while Kohli has amassed 1,327 runs in 29 matches on the same pitches, highlighting their nearly identical success. While their past records may provide some reassurance, the external noise and uncertainty over their futures add an extra layer of pressure, even for two of the format's greatest players. How accurate is Gill's captaincy acumen in Australia is another prospect to watch out for. He has already taken the reins of the Test team and impressed with his leadership on the tough England tour, where India drew the series, and then followed it up with a dominant show against the West Indies at home. Having said that, leading the ODI team has its own set of challenges. He didn't have the baggage of leading the side with Kohli and Rohit in the line-up in Tests, but it will be in ODIs against Australia, the spotlight won't be on him; it will be on the two senior stalwarts everyone is eager to watch.
The curious case of Harshit Rana getting a chance across all three formats will also remain under the scanner in ODIs against Australia. The right-arm pacer has been facing the heat of former cricketers and fans on social media, to the extent that even the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had to call out the distractors, urging them not to spit venom on the young pacer for the sake of headlines. Harshit has played in two Tests, picking up four wickets at an average of 50.75. In five ODIs, he has taken ten wickets at an impressive 20.70, while in three T20Is, he has claimed five wickets but turned out to be expensive, with an economy of 10.18.
Gambhir has frequently faced criticism for showing favouritism, with veterans like Mohammed Shami sidelined and Mohammed Siraj, in his red-ball prime, overlooked in T20Is. Meanwhile, Rana continues to be selected across all three formats. With all the anticipation around Indian players, it seems like the ODIs have finally got his charm back, at least for the Australia series.