Ravi Shastri backs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to stage a fightback in the 2nd ODI at Adelaide
Rohit and Kohli scored 8 and 0 respectively in the 1st ODI at Perth
2nd ODI set to take place on October 23rd at the Adelaide Oval Stadium
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed in on the underwhelming return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket.
The two batting greats failed to make an impression at Optus Stadium, Perth, as India suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the rain-affected first ODI match.
The tour opener on October 19 marked Kohli and Rohit's comeback to the Indian ODI setup after a seven-month hiatus. Both batters struggled against Australia's pace-heavy attack and were dismissed for an eight-ball duck and a 14-ball eight, to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, respectively.
Speaking to ICC, Shastri emphasised the challenges of returning to elite competition after a long layoff, especially in Australian conditions, and urged fans and pundits alike to hold off on judgment as the former captains find their rhythm.
"When you come back from a long layoff, you are obviously going to be rusty," Shastri said. "It's not easy for any overseas team to land in Australia, say, two days prior to a game in Perth and adjust to those conditions straight away, especially when you have that extra bounce and against quality fast bowlers."
Shastri, 63, acknowledged the age factor and the need for mental recalibration while urging fans and pundits alike to hold off on judgment as the former captains find their rhythm.
The caravan will now move to Adelaide for the second India vs Australia ODI match, scheduled for Thursday, October 23. The two rivals will then face off in the third and final ODI in Sydney on Saturday, before the T20Is. Both Kohli and Rohit have retired from the Test and T20I formats.
"But I think only time will tell. They'll go to Adelaide, they have some time off to get into the nets, get their minds sorted and get back into action," the legendary all-rounder added. "So, I'm in no hurry to judge, but it's when you come back at that age, after some time, it's about how much you're enjoying the sport and how much hunger is there and passion is left in you to play the game."
"So if you tick the boxes in two out of those three, especially the enjoyment part of it, then you can give them both time because they've got class, they've got experience and a little bit of time will sort things out. But I'd rather wait than jump and judge immediately," Shastri opined.
With the Shubman Gill-led team trailing the hosts 0-1 in the ODI series, the second match could be make or break, not just for the Men in Blue, but for the future of two of modern-day greats.
India Vs Australia 2nd ODI: Live Streaming
The 2nd ODI between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval Stadium on October 23, Thursday, will be live streamed on JioHotstar app/website and Star Sports network.
India Vs Australia 3-Match ODI Series: Squads
India squad: Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal
Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (C), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (WK), Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc. From second ODI onwards: Alex Carey (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Adam Zampa
