3 player battles to watch out for in AUS vs IND 2025 ODI series ft. Virat Kohli

Team India and Australia are set to lock horns in a three-match ODI series, beginning Sunday, October 19, in Perth. The second and third fixtures will take place in Adelaide (October 23) and Sydney (October 25), respectively.

The series marks the beginning of Shubman Gill's stint as India's new ODI captain. It will also be star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's first appearance in international cricket since March.

The two were last seen in action in international cricket during the 2025 Champions Trophy. Under Sharma's captaincy, the side beat New Zealand in the final to clinch the ICC title.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. He has been rested for the ODI leg of the tour. All-rounder Hardik Pandya missed out due to a quadricep injury, while senior player Ravindra Jadeja was left out of the squad.

Mitchell Marsh will lead Australia in the absence of the regular captain Pat Cummins, who has been sidelined due to a back issue. All-rounder Cameron Green has been ruled out of the series with low-grade side soreness.

Batter Marnus Labuschagne has been added to the Australian squad as Green's replacement. Notably, Adam Zampa, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis will miss the opening encounter but are available for the second and third matches.

The two sides have faced off in 152 ODIs so far. The head-to-head record stands at 84-58 in Australia's favor. It is worth mentioning that the Men in Blue are yet to lose a single ODI this year.

On that note, let's take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the AUS vs IND 2025 ODI series:

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#1 Virat Kohli (India) vs Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood played key roles in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph earlier this year. However, the two seasoned campaigners will now be up against each other in the ODI series.

Hazlewood has troubled Kohli in the past. The Australian pacer has dismissed him 11 times in 30 innings, the most by any bowler in international cricket. In ODIs, he has claimed Kohli's wicket five times in nine innings.

The seamer could be the home team's best bet to exploit Kohli's outside-off weakness. The former captain has a fantastic ODI record against Australia.

He has amassed 2451 runs across 48 innings at an average of 54.46. Only Sachin Tendulkar (3077 runs from 70 innings) has scored more runs against the opposition in the 50-over format.

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#2 Rohit Sharma (India) vs Mitchell Starc (Australia)

The mini-battle between Rohit Sharma and Mitchell Starc is expected to be an entertaining one. The veteran opener's woes against left-arm pacers are widely known.

The 38-year-old has lost his wicket to left-arm fast bowlers 34 times from 134 ODI innings. Starc has managed to dismiss Sharma thrice in 13 innings, while conceding 157 runs from 151 balls.

Like Kohli, Sharma too has a brilliant record against Australia in ODIs. He is the third-highest run-scorer against the Men in Yellow in the format, with 2407 runs in 46 innings at an average of 57.30.

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#3 Travis Head (Australia) vs Mohammed Siraj (India)

Travis Head has been a thorn in India's flesh on several occasions. His blistering batting exploits were instrumental in the side's defeats at the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final and the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

The swashbuckling batter has scored 384 runs from 10 innings against the opposition. The touring side would rely on Mohammed Siraj to get the better of Head early.

Siraj will lead the pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. He has taken Head's wicket twice in four innings. Their contest with the new ball would be key for both teams.