The highly anticipated return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to international cricket after a seven-month break turned sour as India faced a seven-wicket defeat against Australia in the first ODI at Perth's Optus Stadium on Sunday, October 19, 2025. The Indian top order crumbled against the pace and bounce of the Australian wickets, with both Sharma and Kohli failing to make an impact.
Sharma, who had reportedly undergone rigorous fitness training, looked "a bit troubled" and scored only 8 runs before edging an off-stump delivery from Josh Hazlewood to second slip. Kohli, returning from a break in London, was dismissed for a duck, his first in Australia, after slicing a Mitchell Starc delivery to Cooper Connolly at point.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan attributed these failures to a lack of game time and the psychological impact of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), after which both Sharma and Kohli retired from Test cricket. "Fitness is one thing and game time is one thing. That is why Rohit looked a bit troubled. It looked like the demons of the BGT were back for Virat," Pathan said. He expressed hope that this would not be the case in the upcoming matches in Adelaide and Sydney.
The Australian bowlers, particularly Starc and Hazlewood, exploited the bouncy pitch at Optus Stadium. Hazlewood's height allowed him to trouble the Indian batsmen, while Starc set up Kohli with back-of-a-length deliveries before dismissing him with a fuller delivery. Sharma attempted to attack Hazlewood but was caught in "no-man's land," neither fully forward nor fully back.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar defended Sharma and Kohli, emphasizing the difficulty of adjusting to Perth's bounce after a long layoff. "They were playing on probably the bounciest pitch in Australia. It wasn't going to be easy, especially for players who haven't played international cricket for a couple of months," Gavaskar said. He remained optimistic about their prospects, predicting they would score big in the next two games with more time at the crease and in the nets.
Gavaskar highlighted Adelaide as an ideal venue for Kohli to bounce back, given his exceptional record there. In four ODIs at the Adelaide Oval, Kohli has scored 244 runs at an average of 61, including two centuries. His Test record at the venue is even more impressive, with 537 runs in five matches at an average of 53.70, featuring three hundreds.
The match was reduced to 26 overs per side due to rain interruptions. India struggled to 136/9, with Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul (38) providing some momentum, while Australia chased down the revised target of 131 in 21.1 overs, led by Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 46. This was Australia's first-ever ODI win at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Despite the defeat, the series is far from over, and India will be looking to Sharma and Kohli to regain their form and lead the team to victory in the remaining matches. The second ODI is scheduled to be held in Adelaide on October 23.
