Perth, Australia INDvsAUS – Under brooding skies at Optus Stadium, the 
India-Australia ODI series kicked off not with thunderous boundaries, but with the patter of raindrops and the weight of expectation.
In a match truncated to 26 overs per side by four interruptions, Australia clinched a seven-wicket victory via the DLS method, chasing down a revised target of 131 with 29 balls to spare.
Mitchell Marsh’s unbeaten 46 anchored the chase, spoiling a highly anticipated return for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after seven months away from the international stage.
For Sharma, it was a bittersweet landmark: his 500th appearance across formats.
Australia skipper Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl, a decision vindicated by the conditions and their potent pace attack.
India, led by the fresh-faced Shubman Gill in his debut as ODI captain, were inserted first.
What followed was a tale of top-order turmoil, gritty middle-order resistance, and a late flourish that proved insufficient.
A Batting Collapse Under Grey Skies
INDvsAUS – India’s innings unraveled almost immediately.
Opener Rohit Sharma, marking his 500th international match with a silhouette tribute from the BCCI,
fell for a labored 8 off 14 balls, edging Josh Hazlewood to slip.
It was a quiet entry into elite company—joining Sachin Tendulkar (664 matches), Virat Kohli (551),
MS Dhoni (535), and Rahul Dravid (504) as the fifth Indian to reach the milestone.
Virat Kohli, returning post the Champions Trophy triumph in March, fared worse: a first-ever ODI duck in Australia,
edges to Mitchell Starc after facing just eight balls.
Captain Gill, fluent with a couple of boundaries, added 10 before gloving a Ellis bouncer down the leg side.
At 37/3 after 11.5 overs, rain forced the first delay.
Resuming after a brief hiatus, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steadied the ship, but further showers fragmented the innings.
KL Rahul top-scored with a brisk 38 off 31, including two sixes off spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, while Axar contributed a patient 31 off 38.
Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy injected late momentum with an unbeaten 19 off 11 balls, smashing two sixes in the final over from Nathan Ellis.
Yet, India limped to 136/9 in their 26 overs, their lowest total in a completed ODI innings of this length since 2019.
The bowlers’ figures told a story of exploitation: Hazlewood (2/20) and Owen (2/20) were relentless on a pitch offering seam movement, while Kuhneman (2/26) cleaned up the tail.
As Gill noted post-match, “Never easy. When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play catch-up.”
Australia’s Clinical Chase: Marsh Leads the Way
With DLS adjusting the target to 131 off 26 overs, Australia needed a steady hand amid looming showers.
Travis Head departed early for 12, bowled by Arshdeep Singh, but Josh Philippe (37 off 42) and Marsh rebuilt with a 58-run stand.
Matt Short chipped in 20 before falling to Washington Sundar, but Marsh, Player of the Match, remained composure personified—his 46* off 52 included calculated risks against spin.
Debutant Matt Renshaw sealed the deal with an unbeaten 21, featuring a cheeky scoop for six off Arshdeep to ease the pressure.
Australia romped home at 131/3 in 21.1 overs, their first ODI win at Optus Stadium in four attempts.
India’s bowlers, led by Arshdeep (1/30), struggled for breakthroughs, conceding runs at 6.20 per over.
Milestones and Heartbreaks: Sharma’s 500th in Focus during INDvsAUS
For Rohit Sharma, the day doubled as celebration and cautionary tale.
Entering his 500th match—274th ODI, 67th Test, 159th T20I—he became only the 11th cricketer globally and fifth Indian to reach the mark.
His career ledger boasts 19,708 runs at 42.11, including 49 centuries and a record 637 sixes across formats.
Yet, the low score overshadowed the moment, echoing debates on his and Kohli’s roles ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
INDvsAUS – Gill’s captaincy debut ended in defeat—his first loss in limited-overs cricket, mirroring Virat Kohli’s early white-ball stumbles.
It snapped India’s eight-match ODI winning streak, their first loss of 2025.
On X, reactions ranged from disappointment—”Ro-Ko flop show in comeback” [post:23]—to silver linings, like Nitish Reddy’s debut promise.
Australia, missing Pat Cummins and others, showed transitional depth. Marsh praised his side’s adaptability: “We executed our plans well in tricky conditions.”
For India, the learnings are stark: rebuild the top order and harness the bowling in seaming climes.
Looking Ahead: Adelaide Awaits for INDvsAUS
The series shifts to Adelaide on October 23, where India must regroup under Gill’s steady hand.
With Rohit nearing 20,000 runs and Kohli eyeing redemption, the “Hitman” and “King” have a point to prove.
As Marsh quipped post-match, “Australia-India is always a battle—bring on the next one.”
For now, the hosts lead 1-0, but in this rivalry, no lead is safe.
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