After a 224-day hiatus, cricket enthusiasts worldwide eagerly awaited the return of India’s star batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The beginning of Diwali week brought with it renewed excitement as fans tuned in for the ODI series, marking the duo’s first appearance since India’s Champions Trophy triumph. Despite high expectations for their comeback in both T20Is and ODIs, the opening match against Australia in Perth delivered a surprisingly underwhelming performance.
Australia won the toss and chose to field, extending India’s unfortunate streak to 16 consecutive ODI toss losses, a run dating back to the CWC 2023 semifinals against New Zealand at Wankhede. Once the game commenced, Australia’s bowlers effectively utilized the bouncy Perth pitch. Rohit Sharma was trapped by a hard-length delivery from Josh Hazlewood. Shortly after, Virat Kohli chased a wide ball from Mitchell Starc, leading to a rare duck – his first in 30 ODI innings played in Australia. Even Shubman Gill, despite hitting a couple of boundaries, was eventually dismissed leg before wicket.
This early collapse meant the combined total for Rohit, Gill, and Kohli was a mere 18 runs, setting a new record for their lowest aggregate score in an ODI when all three have batted. The previous lowest was 25 runs against Pakistan in Pallekele in 2023. Following these early wickets, play was briefly interrupted by rain.
The match also marked Rohit Sharma’s 500th international appearance, a significant milestone that began on a disappointing note. His scores in landmark matches have been a mixed bag: 15 runs in his 100th, 21 in his 200th, 8 in his 300th, 15 and 46 in his 400th, and just 8 in this momentous 500th game.
Despite this challenging start, the match is still in its initial phases. Fans are hopeful that the Men in Blue can regroup and mount a strong comeback against Australia’s disciplined bowling attack on the demanding Perth pitch.