Kohli finds rhythm, Rohit shakes off the rust in India's first training session

With Optus Stadium - a favourite site of his - providing a magnificent backdrop, Virat Kohli looked sharp in the Perth nets in his return to the India team after a lengthy break since the Champions Trophy.

There was intrigue over who would take part in India's optional training session on the first day of their limited-overs tour of Australia. Much to the delight of the sprinkling of fans outside the ground, Kohli and Rohit Sharma - the latter set to play without the captain's armband and under Shubman Gill's leadership - decided to dust off the cobwebs to mark their return to the national setup ahead of the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.

Quicks Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh also took part, while KL Rahul was the only member of India's Test team against West Indies to train. While most of the squad arrived in Perth in the early hours of Thursday, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj and the coaching staff were on a later flight.

As always, all eyes were on Kohli who has not played since the IPL and is almost surely starting his final Australian tour. Kohli looked locked in as he went through catching drills with great intensity during India's 20-minute session on the turf where just under a year ago he scored his final Test century.

Kohli then spent 40 minutes in the nets and mostly faced back of a length bowling from Rana, Arshdeep and several local bowlers. There were a few uncomfortable moments, but Kohli looked generally at ease as he prepared for a likely lively surface in an ODI game set to be played amid damp conditions - a notable change from the sunshine that has greeted India in Perth.

Kohli's fluency impressed as he aimed to get himself inside the ball's line with Rana, in particular, bowling with zip. Next to Kohli in the nets was his long-time teammate Rohit, who also has not played since the IPL and looked rusty to begin with. While the lovely sound of ball hitting the middle of Kohli's bat reverberated, Rohit struggled with his timing and his footwork was sluggish. Like Kohli, he has not represented India since the Champions Trophy and is also only playing ODI cricket internationally.

Staying in the nets a little longer than Kohli, Rohit started to grow in confidence as he thumped several blows into the netting. While Kohli and Rohit were getting in work, Rahul's time in the nets was brief before trudging off alongside a few support staff.

In a far cry from India's Test preparation in Perth last November, where the WACA ground's nets were completely covered by black shade cloth, there was a much more relaxed vibe to this training session.

While fans were unable to watch their heroes last year - apart from a hardy few who climbed trees - those who attended this time around were greeted by a notably jovial Kohli and Rohit, who were both happy to sign autographs and take selfies.

Kohli's presence has notably heightened the build-up for this three-match ODI series, no doubt helping lift ticket sales with more than 50,000 fans expected at Optus Stadium.

It kick-starts a massive Australian summer, with the Ashes starting in Perth on November 21. Apart from the peak summer period of December and January, it's usually hard for cricket in Perth to compete with the obsessively followed Australian Football League (AFL) which continually eats into cricket season.

But at least for this summer, there is a real sense of anticipation with India and, especially, England touring. However, there wasn't much fanfare earlier in the day during Australia's optional training session at Optus Stadium.

Most of the squad took part, with quick Mitchell Starc a standout in the nets with his speed as he hustled the batters. It was generally a laid back atmosphere before the intensity of the big summer really kicks-in, with plenty of banter over golf evident between the Australian players.

Former Test quick Jhye Richardson was an encouraging sight in the nets as he makes his way back following shoulder surgery earlier in the year. A return to the field is still a little way off for Richardson, who has endured a wretched injury run, but he looked in good physical condition although did not appear to bowl at top speed.

India and Australia will have their main training sessions on Friday.