India's much awaited ODI series against Australia turned up to be disappointing and heart-breaking. The Men in Blue lost the two opening games which got the hosts an unassailable lead with one match still remaining of the 3-match series.
Shubman Gill-led India lost the second game by 2 wickets after a 7-wicket loss in the series opener at Perth. The Indian fielders were not at their best and the three chances they spilled costed them a lot, including Matthew Short who scored 74 off 78 balls.
All fans and pundits had eyes on this series as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international cricket after a 7-month break. Kohli is yet to get off the mark in this series whereas Rohit has scored 8 and 73 in the two games played so far.
WATCH VIDEO - Rohit Sharma instructs Shreyas Iyer 'arrey, tereko call dena padega’ after mix-up in Adelaide
"We had just enough runs on the board. Never easy when you drop a couple of chances to be able to defend that kind of a total," Gill said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
"In the first game, the toss was more crucial because of the rain, but in this one both teams played for almost 50 overs. The wicket did a little early on, but it settled nicely after 15–20 overs," Gill said.
Interestingly, former India spinner didn't blame the fielding or selection for the loss but came up with a cryptic media post which said, " Just leave it". Checkout the post below...
Fans reacted to the post but nobody knows what Ashwin tried to signal with the post.
Good news for Rohit Sharma fans was that the former skipper found his grove in the first innings with a gritty 73 off 93 balls. His knock helped India reach 264 for 9.
Before the Australia tour, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained it would not be fair to judge Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on a match-by-match basis or this particular series.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Agarkar said the duo will considered based on performance in the long term.
"It will be silly to put them on trial for every game. Once they start playing, they will be assessed, but they are not on trial," Agarkar stated.
He further explained that short-term results won’t determine their future. "It doesn't mean if they don't get runs in Australia, they would be dropped, and similarly, if they score three tons in Australia, they would be selected for 2027 World Cup," the former fast bowler added.
India is scheduled to play the final ODI of the series in Sydney on Saturday, October 25.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
