The highly anticipated return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for India’s first One-Day International against Australia in Perth unfortunately fell short of expectations for fans. After winning the toss, Australia chose to field, continuing India’s streak of 16 consecutive ODI toss losses – a run that dates back to the 2023 Champions Trophy semifinals against New Zealand at Wankhede.
Once the match began, Australia’s bowlers capitalized on the famously bouncy Perth pitch. Josh Hazlewood delivered a perfectly pitched ball to Rohit, leading to his early dismissal. Mitchell Starc tempted Virat Kohli with a wide delivery, resulting in a rare duck for him – his first in 30 ODI innings played in Australia. Shubman Gill managed to hit a few boundaries, but his innings was cut short when he was dismissed leg before wicket.
Collectively, India’s top three batsmen managed only 18 runs, a concerning statistic. This marks the lowest combined total by India’s top three in a men’s ODI since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. That particular semi-final at Old Trafford saw similar struggles, with KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli each scoring just 1 run under immense pressure. Despite a heroic lower-order fightback from Ravindra Jadeja (77) and MS Dhoni (50), India ultimately lost that match by 18 runs, ending their World Cup journey.
India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Australia’s Playing XI: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (captain), Matthew Short, Josh Philippe (wicketkeeper), Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
As of the current update from Perth, India stands at 46 for 4. The match has unfortunately been reduced to 32 overs per side due to persistent rain interruptions.