PERTH: India skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that it was not easy for his side to recover after losing three early wickets in the first ODI against Australia, saying the team still put up a competitive show by taking the rain-curtailed match “pretty deep” against the hosts here on Sunday.
India lost openers Rohit Sharma and Gill, and batting stalwart Virat Kohli in the powerplay overs, from which the tourists could never fully recover as they lost the match by seven wickets.
“Never easy, when you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you're always trying to play catch-up. There were a lot of learnings and positives as well,” said Gill after the match.
The much-anticipated comeback of stalwarts Kohli (0) and Sharma (8) lasted just 22 balls combined, as India were reduced to 25/3 by the ninth over, with Australia making significant early inroads.
However, Gill said India made Australia earn their victory.
“Defending 130 in 26 odd overs, we took the game pretty deep so we're satisfied with that,” added Gill.
He said the huge fan turnout at the stadiums will be a motivating factor throughout the white-ball tour.
“We're very fortunate that wherever we play, fans turn up in huge numbers. Hopefully, they'll be able to cheer us on at Adelaide as well,” said Gill.
This marked India’s first defeat in ODIs in 2025, bringing their run of eight consecutive wins to an end.
Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh, who scored an unbeaten 46 to guide his side to victory with 29 balls to spare, said chasing the DLS target of 131 was slightly challenging due to the swinging conditions.
“The weather played its part today. Big thanks to all the crowd that stuck around. I know these days can be really frustrating, but nice to get a win. It's always nice to win at home. I love playing for Australia.
“It (ball) was swinging around a little bit. We knew that was going to be the case for both teams, so a little bit of a challenge to get through there. Proud of the way our young guys came out and took the game on and got us over.”
He complimented 28-year-old Josh Philippe (37 off 29 balls), who was playing only his third ODI and shared a 55-run stand with Marsh.
“(He) came out and made it look very easy, didn't he? It's fun to get young kids coming in. They're not necessarily young kids, the young guys coming in. You just want them to have fun and enjoy it. In one-day cricket, we don't get to play in front of the big crowds all the time, so I said to them to really enjoy it,” added Marsh.
