India's white-ball tour of Australia kicked off disappointingly as they went down by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Perth Stadium on Sunday, October 19.
Indian batters failed miserably in the fiery Perth conditions as they managed to put up 136 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 26 overs in a rain-affected game.
Australia chased down the total in just 21 overs for the loss of three wickets and Mitchell Marsh and Co. kicked off proceedings with a dominating win.
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The series marked the return of India legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in international cricket as the duo played for the Men in Blue for the first time in seven months since the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
However, the two icons' comeback turned out to be nightmares as Sharma departed for eight runs, while Kohli went back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers.
Following a duck in the opening ODI, Kohli faced fierce criticism as many raised questions about his form and his lack of match practice in the past few months.
However, India fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has now come to the legend's defence as he claimed that going forward, Kohli will score a lot of runs.
READ: Nayar reflects on Rohit’s shot selection in IND vs AUS 1st ODI loss
Arshdeep Singh defends Virat Kohli after poor form in 1st ODI against Australia
Amid all the criticism, Arshdeep defended Kohli's poor form as he told reporters after the match: "He has mastered ODI Cricket, played more than 300 ODIs, so form is just a word for him, he knows how to get going - It's a blessing to be in the same dressing room with Virat Paaji. Going forward, there'll be a lot of runs for him."
MORE: Kohli admits he misread Australian crowds
What next for the Indian cricket team?
The Indian team will hope to restore parity in the series as they take on Australia in the second ODI at Adelaide on Thursday, October 23.
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