Team India Departs for Australia; Kohli's Heartwarming Gesture Goes Viral

The Indian cricket team departed for Australia on Wednesday morning for their much-anticipated white-ball tour, with the first ODI set to take place in Perth on October 19. Led by Shubman Gill, the new ODI skipper, the squad took off from Delhi airport, marking the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket after an eight-month hiatus.

Before heading to the airport, a touching moment unfolded outside the team hotel. As the players boarded the team bus, Kohli noticed a young fan in an RCB jersey holding a 'Kohli' poster amid the crowd. Sitting by the window, the 36-year-old asked the security personnel to bring the poster to him. He autographed it and had it returned to the delighted fan, who then posed for a photo in front of the bus, with Kohli smiling from inside. The video of the heartwarming exchange quickly went viral on social media.

Kohli had only just returned to India a day earlier, landing in Delhi after spending four months abroad. Following the conclusion of IPL 2025, he had travelled to London with his family, where he resumed training after a short break. Notably, he also underwent his mandatory pre-season fitness assessment there under BCCI supervision.

The upcoming series marks a significant return for both Kohli and Rohit, who retired from Test cricket earlier in May. Their last appearance for India came during the triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. While fans are eager to see the duo continue in ODIs, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have refrained from confirming their long-term future in the format. For now, the BCCI prefers to assess things series by series, especially since both players are now only active in limited-overs formats.

Apart from Kohli, Rohit, and Gill, other notable players spotted at the airport included Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna.

Following the ODIs on October 19, 23, and 25, the tour will continue with a five-match T20I series from October 29 to November 8.