India vs Australia Match Prediction: Who will win today's AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI match?

When India and Australia lock horns in three ODIs, a number of key players from both sides will be missing. But that won't dampen the enthusiasm of the series much, with two of the world's best sides trading blows in a format they've had major success in of late.

Australia, needless to say, are the reigning World Cup title-holders, having beaten India in the final in 2023. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue clinched the Champions Trophy earlier this year and have been one of the most dominant white-ball sides in recent times.

As mentioned earlier, a few headline-makers won't take part. The likes of Hardik Pandya and Pat Cummins are injured, while Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. But the presence of two of the world's biggest superstars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will ensure that broadcasters and fans are not short of name value.

The first ODI will hit screens from the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19. Which team can come out on top?

India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Australia's ODI squad for the India series: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc. Games two and three only: Adam Zampa, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis.

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AUS vs IND 2025: Can India cope without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah?

South Africa v India: Final - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 - Source: Getty

Hardik and Bumrah leave two massive holes in India's playing XI. Will the visitors be able to cope in the duo's absence? It's hard to say, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana not having much 50-over experience at the top level.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are just returning from long breaks and are bound to be rusty. The Men in Blue might also need to sacrifice either batting depth or a specialist bowler, and the balance of their side looks off at the moment.

Australia have concerns of their own. Cameron Green has been ruled out, while Adam Zampa, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis won't feature in Perth. The batting unit wears an extremely inexperienced look, while Zampa and Cummins' absence has depleted the bowling attack as well.

However, it's arguable that the Aussies have more bases covered and are more suited to exploit the conditions in Perth. It's hard to predict the outcome of a contest with so many variables, but the hosts might just hold a slight edge due to India's questionable team combination and recent form of key players.

Prediction: Australia to win the 1st ODI vs India.