Follow UsThe hype surrounding India’s first ODI against Australia in Perth on October 19 (Sunday) quickly fizzled as senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made disappointing returns to international cricket. Both were playing their first match since March, but neither could make an impact.
Having been removed from ODI captaincy, Rohit opened alongside new skipper Shubman Gill after Australia won the toss and chose to bowl. The 38-year-old managed only 8 runs off 14 balls before falling to Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over. A trademark hard-length delivery from Hazlewood and Rohit got an outside edge, which went straight to the second slip.
Kohli, walking out at No.3, also struggled. The Delhi star, now based in London, faced eight deliveries without scoring. He tried an ambitious drive against Mitchell Starc but edged the ball to backward point. Starc thus became only the second bowler to dismiss Kohli for a duck twice across all formats, after James Anderson.
It was also Kohli’s first duck in 30 ODI innings in Australia and his second slowest ODI duck overall, following a nine-ball naught against England in Lucknow in 2023. Kohli has recorded five five-ball ducks in ODIs.
The Men in Blue were rocked early under cloudy Perth conditions, losing three wickets for just 25 runs. Gill also fell cheaply for 10 off 18 balls.
Combined, Rohit, Gill, and Kohli scored just 18 runs - India’s lowest aggregate from their top three batters in an ODI since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, when Rohit, KL Rahul, and Kohli managed only three runs between them.
* Stats from ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz