Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli delivered a batting masterclass to dismantle Australia, lift India to a nine-wicket win and end the three-match ODI series on a high for the visitors at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.
Rohit and Virat are currently one-format players, competing in the ongoing three-match ODI series in Australia. While Rohit bounced back with a solid 73 at Adelaide following a single-digit score at Perth, Virat is having a rough time with two successive ducks.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin emphasised the need for support, space, and open communication for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying that the duo, being champions in white-ball cricket, deserve the right environment to showcase their best performances.
The former all-rounder, on the other hand, hailed wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for giving himself some game time against South Africa A before the Proteas' tour of India in November.
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes India's batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need time to adjust to face Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood on Australian conditions, citing that a couple of nets sessions were never going to make the task easy.
While an underwhelming show by top-order, Rohit Sharma (8), Shubman Gill (10), Virat Kohli (0) and Shreyas Iyer (11) put India in trouble at 45/4, it was KL (38 in 31 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Axar's (31 in 38 balls, with three fours) 39-run stand that provided some stability.
The first ODI of the three-match series against Australia will start at Perth from Sunday, marking the return of Rohit and Virat in Indian colours for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy win back in March this year.
The first ODI of the three-match series will start on Sunday at Perth's Optus Stadium, with Shubman leading two veterans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, among other star players in the team. Rohit and Virat, who are making their return to the team following the ICC Champions Trophy title win
Rohit and Virat, whose last assignment was the ICC Champions Trophy win in March, will be making their return in Indian colours after seven months. The two legends, who announced their Test retirements ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, starting with their tour to
"Once they start playing, you assess as you go forward. They're not on trial. They've achieved all they had to achieve, not just in terms of trophies, but also runs. So it's not that if both of them don't get runs this series, that will be the reason they won't be there or if they get 300, t
While more hard-hitting batters with skyrocketing strike rates and a better six count took their places in T20Is following their retirement following the ICC T20 World Cup win in 2024, and form deserted them in Test cricket, they still are two of the most elite in ODIs. While one functions a