Australia got the better of India in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series at the Perth Stadium on Sunday, October 19. The Australian fast bowlers breathed fire on the fast Perth track as India managed to post just 136 runs for the loss of nine wickets in a rain-affected clash.
Through the D/L method, Australia's target was reduced to 131 runs in 26 overs, which they comfortably chased down in 21 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Captain Mitchell Marsh led the team from the front as he remained not out at 46, while Josh Phillippe contributed with 37 runs.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source
The first ODI at Perth also marked the return of India stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the international arena as they donned India's blue after seven months, first time since the Champions Trophy.
There was a lot of excitement around the duo's return, however, their comebacks turned out to be a nightmare for the veterans.
Sharma was dismissed for eight runs as he misjudged Josh Hazlewood's short-pitch delivery and nicked the ball behind to Matt Renshaw. Kohli, on the other hand, mistimed his shot as he sent Mitchell Starc's outside off stump delivery to Cooper Connolly and walked back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers.
READ: Shubman Gill joins Virat Kohli in unwanted record
Abhishek Nayar reflects on Rohit Sharma’s shot selection in IND vs AUS 1st ODI
Former India coach Abhishek Nayar, who was on commentary duty during the first ODI, dissected Sharma's poor shot selection that led to his dismissal.
Nayar is also known to be a close aide of the former India captain and even helped the batter to train separately, while he was out of action earlier this year.
Speaking on Star Sports, Nayar said: "I think initially, you know, he took his time, obviously, but he's tried to do what he's done so well in ODI cricket over the past two years. He tried to be aggressive. I feel in a lot of ways that was also his undoing because these weren't the ideal conditions to play the kind of shots he envisioned in his mind."
He added, "I'm pretty sure he's going to reflect on this, but I don't see any change even going forward. He's going to try and be aggressive. You know, hopefully the conditions change in Adelaide. He looked in good flow today but shot selection could have been better. Still, I felt the dismissal was a very good delivery. His intent was there. You know, when you look back at white ball cricket and you get out to a ball like that at second slip, sometimes you just have to take it on the chin and move on."
MORE: What are India's lowest ODI scores in Australia?
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.
RELATED LINKS:
- India's white-ball tour of Australia: Schedule, Results, Dates, Venues and squads for Australia vs India ODI and T20I series in 2025
- What is India’s lowest score in ODIs in Australia?
- IND vs AUS 2025 ODI and T20Is: Who are the commentators for India vs Australia matches?
- All the latest cricket news
- All betting tips and predictions