Australia needed to chase 131 runs instead of 136 in the Perth ODI after India scored 136/9 in 26 overs following multiple rain interruptions.The match at Perth Stadium featured the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to international cricket. Rain interrupted play four times, initially reducing the match to 49 overs, then to 35 overs after the second break.Further rain caused officials to reduce the game to 32 overs before finally settling on a 26-over match after the fourth rain delay.KL Rahul scored 38 off 31 balls while Nitish Kumar Reddy remained unbeaten on 19 from 11 deliveries, helping India reach their final total. Rohit Sharma managed only eight runs, and Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck.Axar Patel contributed 31 runs, while Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar scored 10 runs each. The frequent rain interruptions made it difficult for Indian batters to maintain their momentum.The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method adjusted Australia’s target to 131, considering India had better batting conditions at the start with a dry outfield and longer powerplay.Australia gained an advantage with clear knowledge of their target and the opportunity to plan their innings, barring any further rain interruptions.Mitch Marsh led Australia to a seven-wicket victory with an unbeaten 46 runs. Australia achieved the revised target of 131 with nearly five overs remaining.Marsh built partnerships of 34 runs with Matthew Short, 55 with Josh Philippe, and 32 with Matt Renshaw. Philippe scored 37 runs, while Renshaw remained not out on 21 in his ODI debut.KL Rahul anchored India’s innings after early wickets fell. He partnered with Axar Patel for 39 runs and added 31 runs with Sundar before being dismissed.India lost three quick wickets for three runs after Rahul’s dismissal. Nitish Reddy’s unbeaten 19 runs, including two sixes, helped India reach their final total.India’s top order struggled early, losing Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli for a combined score of 18 runs. This was India’s lowest top-three aggregate in men’s ODIs since 2019.Josh Hazlewood dismissed Sharma in the fourth over, caught by Renshaw at second slip. Mitchell Starc claimed Kohli’s wicket with Cooper Connolly taking a spectacular catch at gully.Nathan Ellis dismissed Gill, who was caught behind down the leg side. Hazlewood then took his second wicket by removing Shreyas Iyer for 11 runs.The series continues with ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney, followed by a five-game T20 series starting October 29.“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game. 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. The fans turned up in huge numbers and hopefully they’ll be able to cheer us on at Adelaide as well,” said Shubman Gill, India Captain.This marks India’s first ODI defeat in 2025, ending their streak of eight consecutive victories. The loss also adds Shubman Gill to the list of Indian captains who lost their first match in charge across all three formats, joining Virat Kohli.
