“You cannot say anything” - India’s World Cup winner defends Kohli & Rohit after AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI

Former India opener and World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth defended stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after the first ODI against Australia. The Men in Blue lost by seven wickets in Perth on Sunday, October 19. It also marked the return to the two greats to international cricket.

However, the return was not memorable for them. Rohit scored just eight runs off 14 balls while Kohli failed to get off the mark. Kris Srikkanth reckoned that it was not easy for the Indian batters to play in Australia on the back of a Test in Delhi without practice. Moreover, he stated that as Rohit and Kohli were coming back after a long gap, you could not say much.

"It is tough to suddenly go and play in Australia after playing in Delhi. But Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came suddenly you frankly you cannot say anything. They were looking rusty. The rain was also a bit of a pain. In a truncated game it is in and out and it takes me time for the batters to settle. It is difficult, but I still believe India lost the match in the first ten overs. Hats off to Marsh's captaincy," he said on his YouTube channel 'Cheeky Cheeka'.

The game was reduced to 26 overs after multiple stoppages due to rain. Therefore, the visting batters founf it difficult to get into rhythm. They managed to score 136/9 in the end. In fact, they lost their top three batters inide the first ten overs for just 25 runs, that pushed them on the back foot right away.

Australia chased the total down comfortably in 21.1 overs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

---

Srikkanth backs India, Kohli and Rohit to make a comeback

Despite the defeat in the opening game, Kris Srikkanth backed India along with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to do well in the remaining games. He stuck to his belief that the Men in Blue were a better side than Australia on paper.

The former opener reflected that the visitors faltered in their combination, strategy, and approach. He opined that they could have won the game even with the rain breaks had they got these aspects right. Notably, they left Kuldeep out and batted KL Rahul as late as number six.

"I still believe India are a better side on paper. I still defend my statement. I think our strategy was wrong, the combination was wrong, the batting order strategy was wrong, the approach was wrong. Forget about rain or no rain. Irrespective of rain we could have done better if our strategy was better. Australia bowled well yes, but at the end of the day if you get the strategy and combination right we still have a good chance," he said.

While he felt that Rohit and Kohli may have looked rusty, Srikkanth added that they could not be judged on the basis of one game. He highlighted how the duo loved challenges and believed that they would prove themselves.

"I believe we will comeback. It may look that Rohit and Virat are rusty but maybe they are not. We cannot judge by one innings. They are world class white-ball players. Virat likes these kind of situations, he wants to comeback and prove himself. He will take it as a challenge and do well. Similarly with Rohit also, he will play freely. I am not worried about that. Only the combination and strategy is important."

The second ODI will be played in Adelaide on Thursday, October 23, followed by the third ODI on Saturday, October 25, in Sydney. India will have to win both games to clinch the series.