Perth, Oct 16 (IANS) The Indian cricket team has touched down in Perth in the early hours of Thursday for the white ball series, against Australia, starting from Sunday.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna were among the first batch of players to arrive in Australia. The Shubman Gill-led squad had departed from Delhi’s IGI airport early on October 15.

The first group also includes the support staff while the remaining members will join them ahead of the team’s first warm-up session in Australia.

The players are expected to undergo a brief acclimatisation period before the limited-overs series begins on October 19.

The tour of Australia will feature three One-Day Internationals followed by a five-match T20I series, setting the stage for an exciting contest between two of the world’s top cricketing nations.

With India aiming to maintain their impressive overseas form, the tour is seen as a crucial test of both character and depth. Fans are eagerly awaiting the action as young skipper Shubman Gill leads the side, looking to set the tone for the series.

The three ODIs will also mark the much-awaited return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international action after a significant break.

Cricket enthusiasts are thrilled to see the senior duo back on the field, even as Gill captains the team in their presence — a fascinating dynamic that adds an extra layer of intrigue to this high-profile tour.

India’s white-ball tour of Australia begins with the ODI opener on October 19 at Perth Stadium, followed by matches at Adelaide Oval and the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 23 and 25, respectively. A five-match T20I series will follow, starting October 29.

The last time India toured Australia for a bilateral ODI series was in 2020–21, when they lost 2–1 but bounced back to win the T20I series by the same margin.

–IANS

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