IND vs AUS: "Don’t be surprised if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli score big in the next two game…"- Sunil Gavaskar backs Indian legends after poor show in Perth – Khel Now

India's tour of Australia 2025
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over their dismal show in the first ODI against Australian Cricket Team at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The cricketer-turned-commentator also backed them to make a comeback in the next two games of the series.
Rohit and Kohli returned to Indian Cricket Team after a seven-month-long gap for India’s tour of Australia 2025. However, they failed to deliver with the bat, losing their wickets cheaply. While Rohit got out for just eight runs off 14 balls, Kohli bagged a eight-ball duck.
Notably, not just Kohli and Rohit, but other Indian batters too failed to make a mark in the opening game. Shubman Gill (10) and Shreyas Iyer (11), who have shown brilliant performance in recent times, struggled against the opposition on a bouncy pitch in Perth.
With 38 runs, KL Rahul was the highest run-scorer for the team as none of the batters could reach a half-century. Losing their top four batters with just 45 runs on the board, the Men in Blue lost the plot at the start of the match.
During a conversation with India Today, Gavakar defended Rohit and Kohli over their poor batting show in the first ODI, noting that they were playing on the bounciest pitch in Australia. The 76-year-old also backed them to score big in the next two games.
“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. It was challenging even for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who play regularly,” Gavaskar said.
“India are still a very, very good team. Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games. The more they play, the more time they spend in the nets, the quicker they’ll find their rhythm. Once they’re back among the runs, India’s total will be 300, 300-plus,” he added.
Prior to the Australia tour, Rohit and Kohli showed a wonderful form in their last outing in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in June. While Rohit finished as second highest run-scorer for Mumbai Indians (MI) with four fifties, Kohli ended as the third highest run-getter of the tournament, opening for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The duo also own a wonderful record on Australian soil in 50-over cricket, with Rohit averaging 51+ in 31 ODIs and Kohli averaging 49+ in 30 games. Additionally, both of them are among the Indian batters with most ODI runs against Australia in Australia.
Australia lead the three-match series 1-0.
Australia defeated India by seven wickets (DLS method) in the encounter.
Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as ODI captain of India.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.

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