The numerous rain breaks made it a long day in Perth. But for many who curtailed their pre-Diwali Sunday morning slumber to catch up on the action, the day was done around breakfast time. The seven-wicket defeat at 4.40 pm IST was more academic as the Aussies went 1-0 up in the three-match series.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, looking to prolong their international careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup, looked rusty in their combined stay of 22 balls at the crease at a time when the sun was still out. The interrogation around the off-stump by Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc that curtailed their Test careers 11 months ago proved too much for the two greats even with the white ball. Rohit (8) nicked Hazlewood’s delivery that jumped a bit from a good length, and Matt Renshaw at slip had an easy grab.
Starc bowled a few slightly full to Kohli, walking in at No. 3, and then held the length back just a bit for one. It got the outer half of the 51-ton man’s bat, and Cooper Connolly at gully did the needful. Reduced to 21-2 in 6.1 overs—a run-rate that read ridiculously low for those getting used to Abhishek Sharma’s diet in Powerplay—it was crucial that captain Shubman Gill got going.But Gill (10) nicked one down the leg by medium-pacer Nathan Ellis on his first ball, and the task got all the more uphill for the rest of the batting unit. It was around this time that the heavens opened up for the first time, and the stoppages kept repeating in a loop, with overs getting curtailed.There was a bit of interest around new vice-captain Shreyas Iyer as well, but he too, in between the stoppages, failed to negotiate his nemesis—the short ball around his armpits. Iyer (11) nicked Hazlewood (2-20), who hit an impeccable length and bowled seven overs on the trot, and wicket-keeper Josh Phillippe completed a smart catch.Axar, Rahul infuse momentumAmidst these mishaps, the class of KL Rahul shone through once again. Not too long ago, he was busy guiding India to a Test series win on a slow turner at Kotla. The Optus pitch is as far removed from Kotla as New Delhi is from Perth, but it was hardly a bother for the Bengaluru boy. Rahul (38 off 31 balls) didn’t look perturbed by the quality of the Aussie pace attack or the rain breaks, as the match finally settled down to be a 26-over affair. The right-hander’s 39-run partnership with the gutsy Axar Patel (31) did infuse a little bit of life into the Indian innings, but the damage was already done. Still, they did unleash the odd powerful shot, and one can hope once the conditions get easier in Adelaide, things will get better for the Indian batters.Australia’s forward Marsh To make a 131-run target look menacing, India needed more than the odd wicket in the initial overs. But on the Optus pitch, which had become quite spicy with the moisture and the lights coming on, India sorely missed Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj was his usual wholehearted self while Arshdeep Singh had Travis Head early, but the Indian attack lacked the cutting edge that could run through Australia.
Poll
What do you think contributed most to India’s defeat in the first ODI?
Skipper Mitchell Marsh 46* (52 b), after initial belligerence, curtailed himself after a couple of wickets, knowing well that there is a lot of inexperience around the Australian middle-order. Among the pacers, Harshit Rana (027 off 4) was the most disappointing, dishing out the odd loose ball every over, which took the pressure off Marsh and the young Phillippe (37). Their 55-run third-wicket stand killed the game.By the end, it became a stroll in the park. Like the Aussies had on Nov 19, 2023.
