New Delhi [India], October 19 : Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes India's batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need time to adjust to face Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood on Australian conditions, citing that a couple of nets sessions were never going to make the task easy.
Rohit and Virat returned to the international circuit for the first time after more than six months since lifting the Champions Trophy title on March 9. The duo returned to competitive action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and were expected to tour with India for the five-match Test series in England in June.
However, Rohit and Virat announced their retirements from the longest format of cricket more than a month before the commencement of the tour. For the preparation of the tour, Rohit used to sweat it out in the gym while engaging in solo practice sessions. Even Virat was spotted training in London during the buildup to the series.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in India with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets. On their return, the duo flopped with Rohit posting 8(14), while Virat returned with an eight-ball duck. According to Kaif, despite the net sessions for three to four days, it would still have made it a challenge for the batting wizards to find their mojo against Australia's lethal pace attack.
"Facing Starc and Hazelwood at Perth after just 3 to 4 days of nets is never going to be easy. Both batsmen and bowlers need time to adjust," Kaif wrote on X as Shubman Gill's ODI captaincy stint began with a defeat.
During the series opener on Sunday, Rohit, in his 500th international game, opened alongside Gill, and fans eagerly waited for him to recreate his selfless heroics. However, hopes of seeing fireworks from his bat soon started to fade when, on the final ball of the opening over, he went for an audacious across-the-line shot off Mitchell Starc, but the ball beat his inside edge.
Rohit took his revenge on Starc in the next over with a straight drive to drill the ball for a four. However, he perished against Josh Hazlewood, after being outdone by the extra bounce and the nibbling away delivery. Rohit had a peek at it and gave away an outside edge to second slip and returned on 8(14).
Meanwhile, Virat bustled for runs but failed in each attempt. On his eighth delivery, he went for a glorious drive, but holed it out to Cooper Connolly off Starc. India limped to a total of 136/5 after rain halted the visitors' innings four times and reduced the fixture to 26 overs each. In response, Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh walloped an unbeaten 46 to steer the hosts to a seven-wicket win and their first ODI win at Perth's Optus Stadium.
After the defeat, fans and former cricketers wondered whether the management should have fielded Kuldeep Yadav in India's playing XI. Ex-All-rounder Irfan Pathan believes India should find a way to slot Kuldeep into the playing XI and wrote on X, "Can team India find a way to get Kuldeep Yadav in the playing 11 for the next game? Think they should."