CHENNAI: After weeks of build up, days of anticipation and planning last minute Diwali shopping around Saturday morning, the hype, it's fair to say, was a let down. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, making a return to India colours in the only format they feature these days for the national team, lasted for a combined eight runs and 22 balls in a 30-minute period where both of them displayed lots of ring rust.
It's only natural that they struggled for rhythm and timing but both of them will want better returns when the second match of the ODI series shifts to Adelaide on Thursday. The match itself, Shubman Gill's first as skipper in this format, was a forgettable affair for the tourists. The top-order couldn't come to grips with the extra bounce and the stop-start nature of the contest — the rain Gods made frequent appearances in the first innings — didn't help. After Gill & Co. limped to 136/9 in 26 overs, the hosts, propelled by Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 46, cantered past the line with seven wickets and 29 balls to spare.
But the match was over as a contest as soon as the visitors had lost the spine of the side inside the first 15 overs. With the pitch promising pace and carry and some overheads to contend with, the hosts had no hesitation in putting India in. Late career Sharma has eschewed his tendency to building an innings. Instead, he's all about using the powerplay as a friend. A leaner looking version of the former India captain made his intentions clear but connected thin air to complete the first Mitchell Starc over.
When it comes off, it gives India and its plethora of all-rounders in the middle-order the perfect launchpad. Over the last few years, it's more or less come off. It's what made India a fearsome team in this format, with two finals and one ICC title a testament to it. On days like Sunday, though, it can expose those tactics. After a couple of nothing shots, Josh Hazlewood got one to lift from a hard length. Sharma's nothing prod took the outside edge and flew to second slip.
A few overs later, Kohli joined him in the pavilion in predictable circumstances. The No. 3, whose last match for India came in the final of the Champions Trophy in early March, is known to have the need to feel bat and bowl in the early stages. With the ball moving, Starc kept it on a string in that place outside off stump. Kohli played out a maiden over. One full Hazlewood over later, Starc offered the bait of a full delivery on a sixth stump line. The batter couldn't resist and Cooper Connolly completed a smart diving catch.
Both Gill and Shreyas Iyer departed soon after and the innings got some oxygen back thanks to a few lusty blows from the blade of Nitish Reddy. But it was never going to be enough in a rain-curtailed match.
Does this mean Sharma and Kohli only have two matches Down Under to show that they can valuable long-term assets? It's likely they may be given multiple series to show they are still capable of producing what they once did but there's an increasing feeling that every match is a referendum of their place in the World Cup squad for 2027.
Ajit Agarkar refuted this suggestion. "That would be a bit silly, isn't it, when one averages over 50 and the other averages close to 50?" the chairman of the selectors said at the NDTV World Summit last week. "You are not going to put them on trial in every game. But 2027 is a long way away, both of them play one format... they haven't had a lot of cricket... Once they start playing, then you assess as you go forward.
Will Adelaide bring better fortunes to the team and two of their most scrutinised players in recent times?
Brief scores: India 136/9 in 26 ovs (Axar 31, Rahul 38, Hazlewood 2/20, Owen 2/20, Kuhnemann 2/26) lost to Australia 131/3 in 21.1 ovs (Marsh 46 n.o, Philippe 37) via DLS
