‘Australia B team defeated mighty India’: Gill’s ODI captaincy starts on sour note as Ro-Ko fail to make impact on return

It was supposed to be a fresh start for India - a new ODI era under Shubman Gill’s captaincy and the much-awaited return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after more than seven months. Instead, it turned into a nightmare outing in Perth, where a second-string Australian side without their key players cruised to a seven-wicket win in a rain-shortened first ODI.

India looked rusty and could only manage 136/9 in their 26 overs after rain reduced the contest on Sunday. Australia, chasing a revised target of 131 under the DLS method, reached it comfortably in just 21.1 overs with 29 balls to spare. The win gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, leaving Indian fans disappointed.

India’s one-year-long unbeaten streak in ODIs ended

All eyes were on India’s two batting giants. But neither Rohit nor Kohli could find their timing or rhythm. Rohit fell for 8 off Josh Hazlewood and Kohli went for a duck off Mitchell Starc. It wasn’t the kind of return anyone had imagined.

Gill, in his first match as full-time ODI captain, didn’t last long either. He made just 10 before edging Nathan Ellis behind. Shreyas Iyer (11) followed soon after, and suddenly India were 25/3 inside eight overs, with all their top guns back in the hut.

KL Rahul and Axar Patel were the only two batters who showed some fight. Rahul’s 38 off 31 balls released some pressure, while Axar chipped in with a 31. Nitish Reddy, on his ODI debut, played a brief cameo to take the score to 136/9 in 26 overs.

Hazlewood, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Mitchell Owen took two wickets each, and Starc and Ellis finished with one each.

Mitchell Marsh leads the chase

Australia’s chase began with Travis Head’s early wicket, caught off Arshdeep Singh, but stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh led from the front. He smashed three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 46 off 52 balls, making light work of India’s total.

Josh Philippe supported well with 37 off 29, while Matt Renshaw provided the finishing touch with 21 not out. The Australians didn’t look in any trouble, as they calmly chased the target with more than four overs to spare.

Fans left fuming on social media

As soon as the match ended, social media lit up with frustration and criticism. Many Indian fans were shocked that what they called “Australia’s B team,” missing several regulars including Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, and Glenn Maxwell, had beaten almost a full-strength Indian side so comfortably.