India lost to Australia in the first ODI of the series in a rain-curtailed encounter at Perth
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both failed to make any impact, falling within 22 balls of the start of the contest
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has backed both Rohit and Virat to bounce back
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has backed the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to bounce back after the duo failed in the opening ODI against Australia on Sunday at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Rohit fell for eight while Kohli could not even open his account as India lost to Australia by seven wickets by DLS method.
Rohit tried to play a few shots to put Australia new ball duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood under pressure. The former India captain did not find much success and fell for a 14-ball eight. Nayar said despite the failure, Rohit will not change his approach.
"I’m sure he’ll reflect on this, but I don’t see any change in his approach going forward; he’s going to stay aggressive. Hopefully, the conditions will be different in Adelaide, but in this game, he looked in good flow. His balance and weight transfer were solid. Perhaps the shot selection could have been better, but it was a very good delivery that dismissed him," Nayar said.
Nayar remains confident that the former India captain will come back stronger in the second game.
Kohli fell for his first Duck on Australian soil after playing and missing a few times. He went for a drive against Starc only to edge the ball to the point fielder. In eight balls, Kohli could not open his account.
“He’s someone who likes to take charge, walk towards the bowlers, and play in straighter areas. Today was a different challenge. Mitchell Starc seemed one step ahead; he didn’t go for the full and fast deliveries we’re used to seeing, but instead, hit the pitch hard and went across the batter. Yes, there were definite plans against Virat," Nayar said.
"I’m sure Virat will go back, study his videos, and look at adjustments, maybe playing deeper in the crease or later towards third man could be better options. We saw him work on that during the BGT, and I’m confident he’ll reflect, adapt, and come back with better plans to deliver the runs we all expect from him,” he added.
India vs Australia 1st ODI
Asked to bat first, India laboured to a sub-par 136 for 9, after the match was revised to 26 overs for a side courtesy several rain interruptions, leaving the hosts to chase a DLS target of 131, which they duly reached in 21.1 overs.
Australia thus took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
