Shubman Gill sends ‘domestic cricket’ message to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after Sydney ODI exploits
The Shubman Gill-led India national cricket team clashed 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 a series whitewash at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and speaking after the match, Shubman Gill opened up on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli show batting masterclass
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international cricket during the series against the Australians, but could not perform well in the ODI series opener at the Perth Stadium.
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Rohit managed to bounce back from the setback in the second ODI in Adelaide with his brilliant 73-run knock, but that was not the case for Virat Kohli, who notched his second consecutive duck of his ODI career.
However, the duo presented a batting masterclass in the third ODI in Sydney and steered India to a dominant victory. While chasing 237 runs, they looked in complete 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 put an end to rumors of retirement from ODI and kept their hopes alive for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Will have discussions after South African series – Shubman Gill
In the post-match press conference, Shubman Gill was asked if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would be forced to play domestic cricket despite their exploits against Australia. He said they would make a decision after the South African series. He said:
“There is not much gap left for the South African series. There is a small gap between the South African and New Zealand series. There will be discussions after the South African series.”
“Having Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma help me as captain. I can ask them anything whenever I have doubts on the field,” Gill added.
Notably, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier made domestic participation in cricket 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 Australians after suffering back-to-back defeats in the first two matches at the Perth Stadium and Adelaide Oval.
It was the first ODI series for Shubman Gill as captain, and he failed miserably at the helm. In the opening match of the ODI series, India faced a 7-wicket defeat with 29 balls remaining.
This match was marred by rain due to numerous interruptions, and it became a 26-man tag match. Batting first, India struggled mightily and ended up posting 136/9 on the board.
When DLS came into play, the target was reduced to 131 for Australia, and thanks to good performances from Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe and Matt Renshaw, they won the match easily.
Then the action moved to Adelaide, where Australia once again outplayed India and secured a 2-wicket victory with 22 balls remaining in aggregate fashion.
Batting, 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 had brilliant half-centuries.
Defending the total, the Indian bowlers got off to a good start, but the Australian batters then pulled back well and finished the match in 46.2 overs.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar To Become Highest Scorer In White-Ball Cricket History
