Aakash Chopra picks India's playing 11 for 1st AUS vs IND 2025 ODI, leaves out Kuldeep Yadav

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Former opener Aakash Chopra picked India's playing XI for the opening ODI of the upcoming three-match series in Australia, starting in Perth on Sunday, October 14 (via the Star Sports Instagram handle). The Men in Blue named a strong 15-member squad for the ODI series, with new captain Shubman Gill set to take over from Rohit Sharma.

Chopra went with the obvious top three in Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill as the openers, and Virat Kohli at No.3. The series marks the return of Rohit and Kohli in Indian colors for the first time since the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March.

Chopra had vice-captain Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul at No. 4 and 5 in the lineup. With no Hardik Pandya in the squad due to injury, Nitish Kumar Reddy slotted in at No.6 as the like-for-like replacement.

The surprise in Chopra's XI came next when he went for both spin-bowling all-rounders, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, excluding left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep is coming off a Player of the Match performance in India's most recent outing in the second Test against the West Indies.

Chopra completed his XI with three pacers, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh.

Aakash Chopra's playing XI for 1st AUS vs IND 2025 ODI

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

Who are the players in the Indian squad missing from Aakash Chopra's playing XI for the 1st ODI?

Kuldeep Yadav aside, Aakash Chopra excluded Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Prasidh Krishna from his playing XI for the first ODI against Australia. Kuldeep boasts a stellar ODI record with 181 wickets in 113 games at an average of 26.44 and an economy of under five.

He played a vital role in India's most recent ODI assignment - the 2025 Champions Trophy triumph. Meanwhile, Jaiswal has played only one ODI for India earlier this year against England.

On the other hand, Jurel is yet to make his ODI debut and has been picked as the backup wicketkeeper to KL Rahul. His selection was questioned by many, who preferred Sanju Samson for the role.

Finally, Prasidh has played 17 ODIs for India in his career, picking up 29 wickets at an average of 25.38. However, his last ODI game for India came way back in the home series against Australia before the 50-over World Cup in 2023.

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Venkatesh Ravichandran

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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