After 224 days, cricket fans around the world were eager to watch the iconic duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in action for India. With the start of Diwali week, excitement and joy returned to fans as they tuned in to see the ODI series, marking the return of Rohit and Kohli after a long break following India’s Champions Trophy win. Both had retired from T20Is and Test cricket, but expectations were high. Unfortunately, the start did not live up to the hype. Australia won the toss and elected to field, continuing India’s 16th consecutive ODI toss loss, with the last win coming against New Zealand in the CWC 2023 semifinals at Wankhede. Once the match began, Australia’s bowlers exploited the bouncy Perth deck. Josh Hazlewood struck with a hard-length delivery that trapped Rohit, while Mitchell Starc bowled a wide that Virat Kohli chased, resulting in a duck for the first time in 30 ODI innings in Australia. Shubman Gill managed a couple of boundaries but was eventually pinned leg before. The trio combined for only 18 runs, the lowest aggregate for Rohit, Gill, and Kohli in an ODI where all three batted. The previous record was 25 runs against Pakistan in Pallekele in 2023. Shortly after these dismissals, play was halted briefly due to rain. This was also Rohit Sharma’s 500th international match, but the start of the milestone game was underwhelming, adding to a series of disappointing personal scores in landmark matches: 100th match – 15, 200th – 21, 300th – 8, 400th – 15 and 46, and today, 8. Despite the rocky start, the match is still in its early stages, and India will look to recover quickly as fans hope the Men in Blue can counter disciplined Australian bowling on a tricky Perth deck.
