Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor start gives chills to Indian camp as Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc rip through old flaws

Hope was short-lived, lasting just a few overs. Rohit Sharma’s mistimed defense and Virat Kohli’s restless drive allowed Australia to seize early control. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc didn’t merely take wickets. Under the cloudy skies of Perth, the management watched with unease as the old nightmare played out once more, frame by frame.

Rohit Sharma’s firm-handed defense once again falls prey to Australia’s hard-length tactic

The dismissals weren’t mere bad luck, they laid bare technical chinks that have plagued Rohit and Kohli against Australia’s elite pacers.

For Rohit, the challenge was by the book: playing a hard-length delivery on a lively track. As pointed out in ESPNcricinfo’s match report, “Rohit’s firm-handed defense to Hazlewood’s lifter found the edge, a familiar trap on bouncy Perth pitches.”

In the first ODI against Australia, Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are returning to the format after months, failed to churn out big scores against the home side.

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Hazlewood, who ended up with figures of 3/22, later shared his thoughts in a post-match interview on Fox Cricket, “We knew the conditions would help if we hit the right lengths early. Rohit played that a bit too hard—it’s what we’ve seen work before.”

Kohli’s decline mirrored his past issues with handling the new ball swinging away from him. Starc, reaching speeds of 148 kph, built pressure with dot balls before throwing in a wide delivery. “He tried to drive away from his body and ended up slicing it,” Starc explained in the same Fox Cricket segment, responding to Nicholas’s query on his strategy. “Virat’s class is undeniable, but you force him to play at one eventually.”

❌ Rohit Sharma – 8 (14)
❌ Virat Kohil – 0 (8)

A dismal return to white-ball cricket for the former Indian captains during the first ODI against Australia.

Can Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steady the ship?

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Ex-Australia player Mark Waugh, who was commentating for Channel 7, described the moment in great detail, “You could almost feel that he [Kohli] was getting a little bit itchy after those dots. The pressure built, and Starc pounced.”.

Hazlewood’s pinpoint accuracy and Starc’s sheer speed tore through India’s top order, just like in the 2018 Perth ODI when the same conditions brought the visitors to their knees.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc’s early strikes leave India reeling inside the Powerplay

Winning the toss and opting to bowl first was a brilliant decision by Australia. With a fresh, seaming pitch and overcast skies, Hazlewood and Starc quickly made their mark, leaving India at 13/1 and then 21/2 in the Powerplay.

Rohit Sharma showed some signs of aggression but ended up scoring only 8 runs off 14 balls in the fourth over. Hazlewood sent down a hard-length ball just outside off that jumped up awkwardly. Rohit Sharma edged it right to second slip, where Matt Renshaw took a brilliant catch. It was a classic Perth dismissal, bouncy conditions getting the better of a batsman who was firmly planted.

Virat Kohli, elevated to the No. 3 spot, didn’t do well, getting a golden duck, his first in ODIs on Australian turf. In the seventh over, he faced Starc and attempted to hit a full, wide delivery at the fifth-stump line, but ended up slicing it to backward point where debutant Cooper Connolly leaped to catch it. Kohli faced eight balls without scoring, showing his impatience to find his rhythm after several dot balls. This was his 39th ODI duck in total.

The downturn continued when Gill was dismissed for 10 runs off 13 balls, caught off a simple delivery from part-timer Travis Head, leaving India at 25/3. Shreyas Iyer (11) and Axar Patel (20) put up a short fight, but additional rain delays affected their momentum. KL Rahul led the scoring with 38 off 30 balls, while debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy finished not out on 19 off 11, helping India to a total of 136/9 in their curtailed innings.

Australia’s run chase was pretty simple. Marsh hit a rapid 42, featuring a massive six over deep square leg, as they cruised to victory with overs left, giving India a 7-wicket loss.

A Wake-Up Call for the Road to 2027

Rohit and Kohli have ODI averages of 49.15 and 58.12, respectively, and they’ve demonstrated they can perform well in Australia. Still, it does raise concerns about how well they can adapt to seaming conditions as they get closer to their mid-30s.

For India, this loss emphasizes their significant reliance on the duo. With Gill leading the charge and Gambhir coaching, the series challenges the combination of fresh talent (like Reddy’s promising debut) and veteran players. A disappointing tour might hasten changes, especially with the 2027 World Cup in South Africa favoring patience over style, according to the user’s context note.

As per Cricbuzz stats, India’s top three batsmen have averaged under 20 in their last three ODIs against Australia. The ‘chills’ in the camp stem from this: without a strong start, even a solid middle order struggles.