Shubman Gill takes accountability, refuses to defend Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma after 1st ODI defeat

India’s opening match on the white-ball Tour to Australia was far from satisfactory. Stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh dominated the game with an unbeaten 46 in the rain-affected match and guided Australia to a seven-wicket victory (DLS method) at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday. The three-match series opener saw rain interrupt play four times and it certainly didn’t help India’s efforts. Australia displayed a disciplined approach throughout the chase, encountering minimal difficulties and easily chasing down the modest target.

This marks India’s first ODI loss of 2025, ending their impressive run of eight consecutive wins.

Batting first, India struggled, losing three wickets for just 25 runs in the first nine overs. Top three batsmen: Rohit Sharma (8), Subman Gill (10) and Virat Kohli (0) could not make a significant contribution.

“Yes, I mean, when you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you always try to play catch-up (due to rain delays and a bad start). A lot was learned from this game for us and there are a lot of positives for us too. We defended 130 and took the game pretty deep, not all the way. We were very pleased with that. We were very lucky (in terms of crowd support). The fans came in large numbers and I hope they will be able to support us in Adelaide as well,” he said. Subman Gill said after the match was over.

Australia’s bowlers took advantage of the extra bounce provided by the Optus Stadium pitch to hold off two familiar opponents. Rohit Sharma (8), who played his 500th match for India, took the field with the new captain Subman Gill received rapturous applause from the Perth crowd, but his innings was abandoned after just 14 deliveries.

Rohit takes a superb straight drive from Mitchell starcIt evoked nostalgic memories of past victories.

But that was all for the day for Mumbai batsman like Josh. Hazlewood’s His ability to create a steep bounce from a short distance capped off his innings. The rising delivery hit the edge of Rohit’s bat and was caught by debutant Matthew Renshaw at second slip.

Virat Kohli took to the field to even louder cheers but the familiar brilliance of his ODI performances was missing. In a pre-match discussion, Kohli had explained how Australia has often brought out the best in him as a batsman.

However, on this occasion, starc He brought out the worst in Kohli – we start with the customary poke outside the stump. This ultimately led to Kohli’s dismissal. An upward left-arm flick limited his bat and Cooper Connolly at backward point took a superb catch to put an end to Kohli’s frustrating eight-ball innings.

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