Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma accused of being Indian flat track bullies
Table of Contents
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missed out on runs in the first ODI at Perth, as they were dismissed for 0 and 8 runs off the bowling of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood.
Former Australian great Glenn McGrath has pointed out that the extra pace and bounce of the Perth track got them caught at their crease and surprised them.
There was much anticipation surrounding the return of the legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli and the former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of the three-match ODI series against Australia. This marked their return to international cricket after a huge gap of 7 months.
However, the first ODI led to a massive disappointment for both the Indian greats at the Optus Stadium. While Rohit Sharma got out for a single-digit score, Virat followed him into the dugout after not troubling the scorers.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli only had a few practice sessions before the Perth ODI
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are considered stalwarts of the One-day format, as the two have combined played in nearly 577 matches (repetition of match count due to the participation of both players in the same game) and have together scored 25000+ one-day international runs for India in the last decade.
Despite all, they are players, and cricket is a game of rhythm. The duo played their last international as well as ODI match back in March, when they faced New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. The Rohit Sharma-led side won the tournament with some sheer domination.
However, having missed the game for nearly 7 months, the duo could have arrived a bit early in Australia. However, they had three practice sessions going into the first ODI, but it was clearly not enough, as they kept losing wickets regularly.
Glenn McGrath points out what led to the dismissal of the Indian greats
After Rohit Sharma was literally left baffled by the sudden bounce off a good-length delivery from Josh Hazlewood and looked out of touch, having missed his favourite pull shot, former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has exposed that they were caught up in the behaviour of the Australian pitch, which is very different from what they play on in India.
They had only played the Indian Premier League during their absence from international cricket. Though the IPL features world-class players, they are played on subcontinent tracks, which have no similarity to the Australian tracks.
"There was a lot of talk going into the match about the two greats, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They've not had a lot of cricket under their belt. And I think they got found out a little bit on a pitch that has got a little bit more pace and a lot more bounce than what they're used to back in India," said McGrath on the Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel.
Rohit and Virat continue to harbour World Cup dreams ahead of the Second ODI in Adelaide
As the Indian squad advances to Adelaide, the former skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have resumed their practice sessions with much determination, still in the hunt for earning a fixed spot in the World Cup squad to be played in South Africa in 2027.
The World Cup chatter for the two greats might not only end with Australia, since India is also scheduled to host South Africa for a tour this November-December, which will also include several matches in the 50-over format, marking Rohit and Virat's return to international cricket on home soil.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir block each other in Australia, zero communication
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Glenn McGrath Mitchell Starc Josh Hazlewood Australia National Cricket Team India vs Australia Australia vs India
