After wrapping up a dominant 2–0 Test series victory over the West Indies at home, Team India are set to face a far sterner challenge — a full-fledged white-ball tour of Australia starting at Perth’s Optus Stadium on October 19.

The much-anticipated series will comprise three One-Day Internationals, followed by five T20 Internationals, promising non-stop cricketing fireworks between two modern-day giants of the game.

The return of the Kings

While all eyes will be on Shubman Gill — India’s newly appointed ODI captain — the biggest storyline heading into this series is the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to India’s ODI setup.

The dynamic duo, fondly dubbed ‘RoKo’ by fans, will reunite in Blue after their ICC Champions Trophy heroics earlier this year. Their comeback adds not just depth and experience, but a nostalgic sense of grandeur to India’s batting order. For millions of fans, watching Rohit and Virat walk out together once again will be a moment to savour — a reminder of India’s golden era in white-ball cricket.

Australia under new leadership

Australia, on the other hand, will be without their regular skipper Pat Cummins, who continues to recover from an injury. Taking over the reins is one of our very own, Lucknow Super Giants’ Mitchell Marsh, the explosive batting all-rounder who led the Aussies to a 2-0 T20I series win over New Zealand earlier this year.

Marsh’s elevation to ODI captaincy signals a new era for Australia’s white-ball cricket — one that combines youthful aggression with fearless cricket.

Schedule overview

The ODI series kicks off in Perth, with the second match at Adelaide Oval on October 23, and the third and final ODI to be played at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25.

The excitement then shifts to a five-match T20I thriller, starting October 29 at Manuka Oval, Canberra. India’s side will be led by the explosive Suryakumar Yadav, fresh off his successful Asia Cup 2025 captaincy stint.

The T20I battle will continue with the second game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, followed by Bellerive Oval, Hobart, on November 2. The fourth clash is at Bill Pippen Oval on November 6, with the series finale scheduled at The Gabba on November 8 — a true fortress of Australian cricket.

The stage is set

With two cricketing heavyweights set to lock horns once again, and with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the mix, this tour promises to be more than just another bilateral series — it’s a celebration of legacy, leadership, and the timeless charm of Indo-Australian rivalry.

Come October 19, the roar at Optus Stadium won’t just be for the cricket — it’ll be for the kings returning to their throne.

India vs Australia head-to-head record

In ODIs, the rivalry tilts in Australia’s favour as they’ve won 84 of the 152 encounters, with India claiming 58 victories, while 10 matches ended without a result.

In the T20I format, however, India hold the upper hand, winning 20 of 32 matches, compared to Australia’s 11 wins and one no result.

India tour of Australia 2025 schedule and live match start times

All times are in India Standard Time (IST)

Day and Date

Match

Venue

Time (IST)

Sunday, October 19

1st ODI

Optus Stadium, Perth

9:00 AM

Thursday, October 23

2nd ODI

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

9:00 AM

Saturday, October 25

3rd ODI

Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

9:00 AM

Wednesday, October 29

1st T20I

Manuka Oval, Canberra

1:45 PM

Friday, October 31

2nd T20I

Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

1:45 PM

Sunday, November 02

3rd T20I

Bellerive Oval, Hobart

1:45 PM

Thursday, November 06

4th T20I

Bill Pippen Oval, Gold Coast

1:45 PM

Saturday, November 08

5th T20I

The Gabba, Brisbane

1:45 PM

India tour of Australia 2025 squads

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Nitish Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana

Australia’s ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschange, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Australia’s T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Sean Abott, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Inglis (wicket-keeper), Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Image Courtesy: ESPNCricInfo