Shubman Gill-led India National Cricket Team went head-to-head with the Mitchell Marsh-led Australia National Cricket Team in the third and final ODI match of the series on Saturday, October 25.
India won the match by 9 wickets to avoid the series whitewash at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and speaking after the game, Shubman Gill opened up on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli show a batting masterclass
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international cricket in the series against the Aussies, but were unable to perform well in the ODI series opener at Perth Stadium.
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Rohit managed to bounce back from the setback in the second ODI in Adelaide with his brilliant knock of 73 runs, but such was not the case with Virat Kohli, who bagged his second consecutive duck of his ODI career.
However, the duo showcased a batting masterclass in the third ODI in Sydney and steered India to a dominant victory. While chasing 237 runs, they looked in full control and built a partnership of 168* runs in 170 balls, with Rohit smashing 121* runs and Kohli scoring 74* runs.
With this performance, they also shut down the ODI retirement rumors and kept their hopes alive for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Will have discussions after the South Africa series – Shubman Gill
At the post-match press conference, Shubman Gill was asked whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would be forced to play domestic cricket despite their heroics against Australia. He said that they will make a decision after the South Africa series. He said:
“There’s not much gap left for the South Africa series. There’s a bit of a gap between the South Africa and New Zealand series. Will have discussions after the South Africa series.”
“Having Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma help me as a captain. I can ask them anything whenever I have any doubts on the field,” Gill further said.
Notably, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier made the domestic cricket participation mandatory for Rohit and Kohli.
India lost the ODI series after losing the first two matches
The Men In Blue had lost the three-match ODI series against the Aussies after suffering back-to-back defeats in the first two matches at Perth Stadium and the Adelaide Oval.
It was the first ODI series for Shubman Gill as the captain, and he failed miserably at the helm. In the ODI series opener, India faced a 7-wicket defeat with 29 balls remaining.
That match was marred by rain as there were numerous interruptions, and it became a 26-over-per-side contest. Batting first, India struggled a lot and ended up posting 136/9 on the board.
As DLS came into play, the target was reduced to 131 for Australia, and riding on good performances from Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe, and Matt Renshaw, they easily won the match.
Then, the action moved towards Adelaide, where Australia once again outperformed India and bagged a 2-wicket victory with 22 balls remaining in a comprehensive manner.
Batting first, India managed to post 264/9 on the board, thanks to brilliant performances from former captain Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer – both of whom his brilliant half-centuries.
Defending the total, Indian bowlers got off to a decent start, but then the Australian batters pulled things back nicely and finished off the match in 46.2 overs.
