Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missed the mark in the first ODI in Perth as they were out for 0 and 8 off the bowling of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Former Australian great Glenn McGrath has revealed that the extra pace and bounce of the Perth track caught him at the crease and took him by surprise.
Before the three-match ODI series against Australia, there were a lot of expectations about the return of great Indian batsman Virat Kohli and former Indian captain Rohit Sharma. This marked his return to international cricket after a long gap of 7 months.
However, both the Indian giants faced huge disappointment in the first ODI at the Optus Stadium. While Rohit Sharma got out on the score of one point, Virat followed him into the dugout after not troubling the scorers.
Before Perth ODI, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did only a few practice sessions.
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are considered stalwarts of the one-day format, as both have played a combined approximately 577 matches (the number of matches being repeated due to the participation of both players in the same game) and have scored 25000+ ODI runs for India in the last decade.
Despite all this, he is a player and cricket is a game of rhythm. Both played their last international and ODI match in March, when they faced New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Rohit Sharma-led team won the tournament with some degree of dominance.
However, having missed the game for almost 7 months, the pair could have reached Australia a little early. Although they had three practice sessions before the first ODI, it was clearly not enough, as they continued to lose wickets.
Glenn McGrath explains why Indian greats were dismissed
Rohit Sharma was genuinely surprised by Josh Hazlewood’s sudden bounce on a good length ball and was left out of rhythm as he missed his favorite pull shot, former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has revealed that he was caught up in the behavior of the Australian pitch, which is very different to what he plays on in India.
During his absence from international cricket he only played the Indian Premier League. Although the IPL features world-class players, it is played on subcontinental pitches that bear no resemblance to Australian tracks.
“There was a lot of talk about two great players in the match, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They haven’t had a lot of cricket. And I think they have found out a bit on that pitch, which has a bit more pace and a lot more bounce than India,” McGrath said on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel.
Rohit and Virat are dreaming of World Cup before the second ODI in Adelaide.
As the Indian team reaches Adelaide, former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have resumed their practice sessions with great determination as they still look to earn a confirmed spot in the World Cup squad to be played in South Africa in 2027.
The World Cup talks for the two greats may not just end with Australia as India are also scheduled to host a tour of South Africa this November-December, which will also include several matches in the 50-over format, marking the return of Rohit and Virat to international cricket on home soil.
Also read: Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir interrupted each other in Australia, zero communication