Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch has shared his thoughts on the upcoming three-match ODI series between India and Australia, predicting a tightly contested battle between the two teams. Finch believes that while the series will be closely fought, his former team is likely to edge it narrowly.

India recently announced a strong 15-player squad for the ODI leg of Australia’s tour, set to begin on 19th October. One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Indian squad is the appointment of Shubman Gill as captain, marking a new chapter in India’s 50-over setup. Gill, who replaces Rohit Sharma at the helm for this series, will be leading the side for the first time in ODIs.

“It will be a great series. It always is against India and I think having Virat back in there brings out the best in him against Australia. It’s always a great battle when you look at it on paper as it’s very evenly matched, but I’d say Australia (win the series) 2-1," Finch said on the ICC.

“Not confidently though as India are a great side and it will just be a great series to watch.”

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will return to the Indian side for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy win earlier this year in March. And, Finch is excited to see how Shubman Gill fares in his debut ODI series as captain.

“He’s a brilliant player, particularly in the white-ball formats and the way that he captained against England in the Test series is just a huge tick in his box to take the next step and takeover the Indian leadership right the way through (all three formats).”

“I think when you look back to that England Test series he (Gill) didn’t have many other options that he could turn to for advice, probably when he was out on the ground, but he did a wonderful job himself. But I think just having those guys (Rohit and Kohli) there will be a real calmness for him as well, because it’s the ability to bounce ideas, both on and off the field on how you want the team to function going forward, because they’ve been such a huge part of the team for a long period of time,” he said.