Kohli, Rohit’s failed returns raise tough questions on India’s ODI future
Perth, Oct 19: The long-awaited return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to India’s ODI setup ended in disappointment on a damp Saturday evening at the Optus Stadium, as both stalwarts failed to fire and left the side grappling with balance issues and yet another batting collapse.
Australia, riding on a clinical bowling display by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, cantered to a comfortable seven-wicket win in a rain-marred contest reduced to 26 overs a side.
The night that was meant to mark a glorious comeback for two of India’s biggest names turned instead into a sobering reminder of how over-reliance on senior players continues to unsettle India’s batting order. Kohli’s eight-ball duck and Rohit’s sluggish 8 exposed not only their rust but also the frailty of a batting lineup that looked uncertain, disjointed, and ill-prepared for a world-class pace assault under lights.
Rohit and Kohli’s comeback fails to lift India
India’s experiment of reintroducing their senior pros immediately back into the starting XI—after months of rest and limited competitive cricket—backfired spectacularly. Rohit looked far from his fluent best, fending uncomfortably against Hazlewood’s extra bounce before nicking one to second slip. Kohli, once hailed as the master of modern batting, followed soon after with a tentative push away from his body—his dismissal caught brilliantly at backward point by Cooper Connolly.
There was a smattering of applause from the Perth crowd as Kohli walked off, some even offering a standing ovation. But the larger picture was unmistakable: India’s top order had once again buckled when it mattered most.
Both stars’ lack of match rhythm visibly impacted the team’s structure. The presence of two senior batters pushed in-form younger players down the order, forcing Shubman Gill—on his ODI captaincy debut—to carry the burden of resurrecting an innings already in tatters at 45 for 4.
India pay the price for compromised team balance
It wasn’t just about two failures with the bat—it was the chain reaction that followed. With Kohli and Rohit back, India’s balance looked off. All-round depth was sacrificed to accommodate experience, and it showed. Without the cushion of a flexible batting order or an extra bowling option, India appeared thin both in middle-order stability and death-overs firepower.
The rhythm India had built in their younger, more dynamic squad earlier in the year now looked fractured. Shubman Gill’s men, forced into a conservative template, lacked the spark that had characterised India’s recent success.
Even with Axar Patel’s gritty all-round effort and KL Rahul’s late hitting, the total of 136 for 9 was far from competitive on a seaming track.
Hazlewood, in particular, exposed India’s lack of adaptability with a spell straight out of a textbook—2 for 20 in seven overs with 35 dot balls. Starc’s early swing and pace rattled the top order, and debutant Mitchell Owen along with spinner Matt Kuhnemann cleaned up the rest as India never really recovered.
Australia seal it with ease
Chasing a revised target of 131, Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh led from the front with an unbeaten 46 off 52 balls, pacing the innings to perfection.
Though Travis Head’s dismissal to Arshdeep Singh briefly gave India hope, Marsh’s composed presence ensured Australia never lost grip of the chase.
ODI debutant Matt Renshaw (21*) and Josh Philippe (37 off 29) provided able support as Australia crossed the line in the 22nd over.
Axar Patel was the lone bright spot for India, turning in a disciplined spell and adding a handy contribution with the bat.
But with wickets falling regularly at the other end, there was little he could do to avert another batting failure. For Shubman Gill, who had recently enjoyed a dream start to his Test captaincy stint, the ODI debut as skipper was a rude awakening. He showed brief flashes of class before falling for 10, but the lack of support from his seniors left him visibly frustrated.
The young captain found himself navigating a broken structure—veterans rusty, the middle order exposed, and lower-order hitters forced to swing blindly amid drizzle and uncertainty. (PTI)
SCOREBOARD
India Innings (match reduced to 26-over-a-side): Rohit Sharma c Renshaw b Hazlewood 8. Shubman Gill c Philippe b Ellis 10
Virat Kohli c Connolly b Starc 0
Shreyas Iyer c Philippe b Hazlewood 11
Axar Patel c Renshaw b Kuhnemann 31
KL Rahul c Renshaw b Owen 38
Washington Sundar b Kuhnemann 10
Nitish Kumar Reddy not out 19
Harshit Rana c Philippe b Owen 1
Arshdeep Singh run out 0
Mohammed Siraj not out 0
Extras: (LB-2, W-6) 8
Total: (For 9 wkts, 26 overs) 136
Fall of wkts: 1-13, 2-21, 3-25, 4-45, 5-84, 6-115, 7-121, 8-123, 9-124.
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 6-1-22-1, Josh Hazlewood 7-2-20-2, Nathan Ellis 5-1-29-1, Mitchell Owen 3-0-20-2, Matthew Kuhnemann 4-0-26-2, Matthew Short 1-0-17-0.
Australia Innings (Target 131; 26 overs) Mitchell Marsh not out 46
Travis Head c Rana b Arshdeep 8
Matthew Short c Sharma b Patel 8
Josh Philippe c Arshdeep b Washington 37 Matt Renshaw not out 21
Extras: (LB-3, W-8) 11
Total: (For 3 wkts, 21.1 overs) 131
Fall of wkts: 1-10, 2-44, 3-99.
Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 4-1-21-0, Arshdeep Singh 5-0-31-1, Harshit Rana 4-0-27-0, Axar Patel 4-0-19-1, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2.1-0-16-0, Washington Sundar 2-0-14-1. (PTI)
