NEW DELHI: Even as emotions run high over the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the Indian setup, the spotlight also shines brightly on Shubman Gill, who begins his journey as India's full-time ODI captain in the opening match against Australia in Perth on Sunday.

Kohli and Rohit will don the India blues for the first time since the Champions Trophy in March - a period during which the landscape of Indian cricket has evolved significantly.

'It's a big honour to lead such legends': Shubman Gill on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

In their absence, a new generation has learned to shoulder responsibility and adapt, proving that the team can thrive even without its two iconic pillars - at least in select formats.

Now, as the veterans make their much-anticipated comeback, the question looms large: what new dimension can Kohli and Rohit bring to this rejuvenated side?

One thing, however, remains beyond debate - both Kohli and Rohit will forever stand among the greatest one-day batters of all time, across eras and measures.

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Both veterans have been putting in the hard yards ahead of the series. Rohit appears noticeably leaner and sharper, having transformed himself into a more chiselled version of his old self, while Kohli has been rigorously training in London - his new base - under the watchful eye of a private coach.

Their biggest test, however, will be to shrug off the rust that's built up since the IPL - their last competitive outing.

In that sense, the timing of their comeback couldn't be more fitting. Facing Australia, a team that has often brought out the best in both Rohit and Kohli throughout their illustrious careers, might just be the perfect spark to reignite their rhythm.

In that context, the three-match ODI series can be considered as a barometer of their individual drive and willingness to travel still farther in their working lives as one-format players.

But unlike Kohli, Rohit needs to come to terms with his new role of being just a senior player.

Rohit's previous T20I and ODI outings ended with celebration after guiding the team to ICC trophies, and he was leading the side even in his last Test appearance in Melbourne.

If Kohli can produce those brilliantly calibrated knocks and Rohit his incandescent shot-making up the order, then these two stalwarts can hope to hang on for long.

It will be fascinating to watch an old rivalry coming to life again as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will try to keep the Ro-Ko duo quiet once more.

The celebrated cricketers will clearly be knowing that they no longer have the immunity of leadership role or luxury of time, as the current selectors and team management have no deep remorse in taking some harsh calls with future in mind, particularly the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar hinted as much.

"Look they (Rohit and Kohli) are part of the squad at the moment for Australia. They are not on trial. Once they start playing, then you assess.

"But we have some ideas, and we'll probably have a better idea of where the team is progressing," said Agarkar during the 'NDTV World Summit.'

Gill's burden

Future is what Gill is expected to shape. But he will always have the looming figures of Kohli and Rohit behind him.

The 26-year-old has already shown that he is capable of standing up to the legacy of Kohli as a batter during the away series against England.

Now, Gill will have to match the standard set by Rohit as white ball formats skipper, justly reflected in India's 75 per cent win ratio under him, highest in the country's ODI history.

If he likes it or not, Gill will be judged against the achievements of Rohit in the limited-overs, and the Mitchell Marsh-led Australia offers him a daunting first stop despite the absence of premier pacer Pat Cummins.

If he can ace this test, it will do a world of good for his confidence as a leader, which will in turn mirror his already fast developing batting.

Team combination

It's unlikely that the management will break the highly successful opening combination of Rohit and Gill, keeping Yashasvi Jaiswal as a backup option.

It means Kohli will come at No. 3 followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who will double up as the wicketkeeper.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to receive his maiden ODI cap in the all-rounder's role since injured Hardik Pandya is not part of the side, and Harshit Rana will vie with Prasidh Krishna for the support seamer's role behind Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav could be manning the spin department.

On the other hand, the Aussies will hope that the likes of Cooper Connolly, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw etc can give ample support to Marsh and India's eternal nemesis Travis Head.

Teams (from):

India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), 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: 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.

Match starts at 9am IST.

(With PTI Inputs)