After a long break, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma finally returned to international cricket, but it quickly became disappointing. The two faced only 22 balls, and their early dismissals left India in a tough spot during the rain-affected first ODI against Australia.
Frequent rain delays shortened the match to 26 overs per side, and India could only score 136 runs for 9 wickets. According to the Duckworth-Lewis method, Australia needed 131 runs to win.
Despite Rohit’s underwhelming performance on the field, a light-hearted video of him went viral on social media. In the clip, Rohit is relaxing in the dressing room and eating popcorn with new captain Shubman Gill, which drew funny reactions from fans.
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar commented on the viral moment, mentioning that Rohit’s calm and easygoing attitude shows his experience and poise, even after a tough game.
Rohit Sharma has recently made significant progress in his fitness journey, thanks to the guidance of Abhishek Nayar. The 38-year-old opener lost about 11 kilograms before returning to international cricket after a seven-month break. During a live broadcast, cameras caught Rohit eating popcorn in the dressing room. Nayar jokingly said, “Hey, don’t let him eat that!” This comment quickly went viral on social media.
In the match, Team India struggled to find momentum from the start of their innings. Aside from KL Rahul, who scored a steady 38 off 30 balls, none of the batters looked comfortable at the crease.
Australia made a wise decision to bowl first at the Optus Stadium and took full advantage of the cloudy conditions that helped their fast bowlers. This choice paid off well.
Rohit Sharma (8 runs) opened the innings alongside the new skipper Shubman Gill, receiving loud cheers from the crowd. However, his time at the crease was brief—just 14 balls. He did show a glimpse of his old form with a beautiful straight drive off Mitchell Starc, but that was his only confident shot. Soon after, Rohit fell victim to Josh Hazlewood’s extra bounce, edging the ball to debutant Matthew Renshaw at second slip.
