Team India heads Down Under: Kohli, Rohit leave in first batch

Senior stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were among the first batch of Indian cricketers who flew off on Wednesday for a three-match ODI series against Australia beginning October 19.

Kohli and Rohit were joined by Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, and pacers Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna along with some members of the support staff.

The group made their way into the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the morning with a handful adoring fans lining up outside the entrance to catch a glimpse of them.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and some other members of the coaching staff will leave in the evening.

India is due to play three ODIs starting Sunday in Perth followed by Adelaide and Sydney.

It will be followed by a five-match T20 International series and the format specialists will leave on October 22 tentatively. The series will begin on October 29.

The ODI series has generated significant buzz due to the chatter surrounding the future of Rohit and Kohli, both of whom are now retired from Tests and T20Is.

Gambhir, after the 2-0 Test series sweep over the West Indies here on Tuesday, had said that he hoped for the two to have a good outing in the upcoming assignment, while being evasive about their 2027 World Cup prospects.

"The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present. Obviously they are quality players. They are coming back. Their experience is going to be valuable in Australia," Gambhir had said in the post-series press conference.

"Hopefully those two guys can have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team we can have a successful series," Gambhir said when asked about the future of the two former skippers," he added.