AUS vs IND: Rohit Sharma disappoints in international comeback against Australia in first ODI
Former India captain Rohit Sharma failed to impress in his first international match in more than seven months, as he fell after scoring just eight runs off 14 balls in the first ODI against Australia in Perth on Sunday.
After opening the batting with newly appointed ODI captain Shubman Gill, Rohit unfurled a straight drive down the ground to collect a four off Mitchell Starc in the third over. However, in the following over, he fell prey to Josh Hazlewood’s hard length outside off-stump, edging the ball to second slip, where debutant Matt Renshaw took a simple catch.
Rohit had failed to put bat on ball in three successive deliveries before his dismissal. He shouldered arms to the first delivery of the fourth over as Hazlewood tested him in the channel outside off. Rohit missed the next ball, owing to some extra bounce, as he looked to heave it over midwicket. He was beaten trying to defend the third delivery, with the ball pitching on a length outside off and then moving away a touch to beat the outside edge. Rohit finally ran out of luck when the fourth ball of the over again bounced a little extra and went off the outside edge.
This was Rohit’s first international outing since the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March this year. He had scored a tone-setting 83-ball 76 in that game as India won by four wickets to lift the title.
Ahead of the ongoing series, Rohit was replaced by Gill as India’s ODI captain, leading to intense speculation over the former skipper’s future in the format. Adding fuel to uncertainty, Ajit Agarkar, chairman of selectors, was non-committal about Rohit and Virat Kohli’s participation in the ODI World Cup in 2027.
“Look they [Rohit and Kohli] are part of the squad at the moment for Australia. In two years’ time, we don’t know what the situation is going to be,” Agarkar said during the NDTV World Summit 2025 on Friday.
Kohli also endured a forgettable return to international cricket, as he fell for an eight-ball duck a few overs after Rohit’s dismissal.
Published on Oct 19, 2025
