Aakash Chopra picks India's Playing XI for first ODI against Australia, excludes Kuldeep and 3 others

Aakash Chopra picks IND vs AUS 1st ODI playing XI: The first ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia will be played in Perth on October 19. Before this match, former Indian opener and commentator Aakash Chopra has picked India's playing XI.

Aakash Chopra picks India vs Australia 1st ODI playing XI: The Indian team, after thrashing the West Indies, is now gearing up for their tour of Australia. This tour will commence with a three-match ODI series on October 19. For this series, India has sent a 15-member cricket team to Australia. Experienced Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to make a comeback after a long time in this series, and Shreyas Iyer, who was overlooked in Test and T20 internationals, will also return. The BCCI selectors have handed over the captaincy of the team to Shubman Gill in place of Rohit Sharma. Now all eyes are on which playing XI Gill will field in the first match. Meanwhile, former India opener and commentator Aakash Chopra has selected India's playing XI.

Rohit-Shubman to open!

Aakash Chopra has chosen Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill as the opening batsmen for the first ODI against Australia in Perth, which means Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to sit out. After that, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer have been placed at number three and four respectively. KL Rahul has been selected for the fifth position and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the sixth, who will replace the injured Hardik Pandya.

Kuldeep Yadav not included

He has also included two spin all-rounders, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, in the playing XI. According to Chopra, Kuldeep Yadav will not find a place in the final eleven. After this, he has included three fast bowlers: Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh in the team. This means Kuldeep, along with Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, will have to warm the bench.

Harshit's selection faced criticism

It is worth noting that Harshit Rana's selection in all three formats had faced considerable criticism recently, to which Gautam Gambhir had also responded. Chopra said that this 23-year-old player should not be trolled for being included in the playing XI.

India's ODI Squad

Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), and Yashasvi Jaiswal.