There was great excitement surrounding the comeback of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first ODI against Australia. But the joy of their return was short-lived. In the Perth encounter, the Indian batting lineup faltered right from the start. Losing the toss, India came in to bat and suffered an early blow in the fourth over when captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Just two overs later, Mitchell Starc sent Virat Kohli back to the pavilion for a duck, dashing India’s hopes of a strong start.
With both senior batsmen dismissed early, the rest of the batting order collapsed under pressure. KL Rahul tried to stabilize the innings with 38 runs, while Axar Patel added 31, but neither could accelerate the scoring rate. Debutant Nitesh Reddy fought briefly with a 19-run cameo, yet it was not enough to rescue India.
Due to heavy rain interruptions, India’s innings was reduced to just 26 overs. The frequent rain breaks made batting extremely difficult Indian batsmen struggled to settle down and could not post a competitive total. The team managed to score only 136 runs.
Australia, on the other hand, took full advantage of their familiarity with home conditions. Their batsmen adapted quickly to the damp pitch and chased down the target with ease in just 21.1 overs, winning the match by seven wickets. Opener Mitchell Marsh remained unbeaten on 46, leading his side to a comfortable victory.
Despite the much-anticipated return of Rohit and Kohli, India’s batting collapse and the constant rain disturbances cost them dearly. With this loss, India trails 0–1 in the series and will need a strong comeback in the next match to stay alive in the series.
