Pat Cummins Unveils Controversial All-Time India-Australia ODI XI
NEW DELHI: Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins, currently nursing an injury, will unfortunately miss the highly anticipated white-ball series against India. Ahead of the first One-Day International scheduled for Sunday, October 19, at Optus Stadium in Perth, Cummins shared his intriguing all-time India-Australia combined ODI XI exclusively with Star Sports. The selection has already sparked considerable debate, as it features a dominant eight Australian players and three Indian legends, all of whom are retired.
Cummins, a 32-year-old pacer from New South Wales, hasn’t seen competitive action since July 2025 and is also expected to miss the crucial opening Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series against England in Perth.
In his carefully crafted combined XI, Cummins chose the formidable opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner. The middle order boasts cricketing stalwarts Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, and Michael Bevan. Notably, Steve Smith, a two-time ODI World Cup winner (2015 and 2023), retired from 50-over cricket in March 2025 following Australia’s unsuccessful ICC Champions Trophy campaign.
Behind the stumps, Cummins entrusted the wicketkeeping duties to the legendary MS Dhoni, while Shane Warne was picked as the sole specialist spinner. For the formidable pace attack, he chose Brett Lee, Zaheer Khan, and Glenn McGrath, forming a terrifying trio.
Pat Cummins’ All-Time India-Australia ODI XI:
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| David Warner | Batsman (Opener) |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Batsman (Opener) |
| Ricky Ponting | Batsman |
| Steve Smith | Batsman |
| Shane Watson | All-rounder |
| Michael Bevan | Batsman |
| MS Dhoni | Wicketkeeper |
| Shane Warne | Spinner |
| Brett Lee | Fast Bowler |
| Zaheer Khan | Fast Bowler |
| Glenn McGrath | Fast Bowler |
With Cummins unavailable, Mitchell Starc is poised to lead Australia’s bowling attack in the three-match ODI series against India, with strong support from Josh Hazlewood. Starc’s last ODI appearance was against Pakistan in Adelaide on November 8, 2024. Following his recent T20I retirement, he will also be absent from the five-match T20I series commencing October 29 in Hobart.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will step into the captaincy role for both the ODI and T20I squads during Cummins’ absence. Marsh has been in phenomenal form, recently earning the Player of the Series award in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. This comes after Cummins himself successfully led Australia to a memorable victory in the 2023 ODI World Cup.