After India’s disappointing 1st ODI loss against Australia, Shubman Gill refused to defend senior stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The young batter acknowledged his own role in the defeat, putting himself in the same boat and showing accountability and team-first attitude.
India’s opening match in the Australia white-ball Tour was far from satisfactory. Stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh dominated the game with an unbeaten 46 in a rain-affected match, leading Australia to a seven-wicket victory (DLS method) at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday. The three-match series opener saw rain interrupt the play on four occasions, which certainly did not aid India’s efforts. Australia maintained a disciplined approach throughout their chase, encountering minimal challenges, and easily pursued the modest target.
This marks India’s first ODI loss in 2025, bringing an end to their impressive streak of eight consecutive victories.
Batting first, India struggled, losing three wickets for a mere 25 runs within the first nine overs. The top three batsmen – Rohit Sharma (8), Shubman Gill (10), and Virat Kohli (0) – failed to make a significant contribution.
“Yes, I mean, when you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game (on the rain delays and the poor start). A lot of learnings for us from this game and a lot of positives for us as well. We were defending 130 and we took the game, not till the very end, but pretty deep. We were very satisfied with that. We are very fortunate (on the crowd support). The fans turned up in huge numbers and hopefully they’ll be able to cheer us on at Adelaide as well,” Shubman Gill said after the match ended.
Australian bowlers capitalized on the extra bounce provided by the Optus Stadium pitch to dismiss two familiar adversaries. Rohit Sharma (8), who was marking his 500th appearance for India, entered the field alongside the new captain Shubman Gill to enthusiastic applause from the Perth crowd, but his innings was cut short after just 14 deliveries.
Rohit executed a magnificent straight drive off Mitchell Starc, which evoked nostalgic memories of his past glories.
However, that was all for the day for the Mumbai batsman, as Josh Hazlewood’s knack for generating steep bounce from a short length ended his innings. The rising delivery struck the edge of Rohit’s bat and was caught by debutant Matthew Renshaw at second slip.
Virat Kohli stepped up to the crease to even louder cheers, but the familiar brilliance of his ODI performances was absent. In a pre-match discussion, Kohli had explained how Australia often brought out the best in him as a batsman.
Yet, on this occasion, Starc brought out the worst in Kohli — starting with a habitual poke outside the off-stump. This ultimately led to Kohli’s dismissal. A drive on the up off the left-arm pacer edged his bat, and Cooper Connolly at backward point took a spectacular catch to end Kohli’s frustrating eight-ball innings.
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