Team India, led by Shubman Gill, have arrived in Adelaide hoping to square the three-game ODI series against Australia. Although Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both flopped in the series-opener in Perth, Indian fans can draw hope from the fact that the former scored a match-winning ton the last time India played an ODI at the Adelaide Oval.
The match dates back to 2019 when the Men in Blue faced Australia in Adelaide for the second of the three-game ODI series, with Kohli captaining. With the right-handed batter known for his ability to successfully chase down big totals, a similar challenge was in front of him as Australia had set India 299 to win after Shaun Marsh's 131.
Although Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma had got the visitors off to a decent start, the responsibility fell on Kohli to set the base. He responded with a ton off 108 deliveries before falling for 104, leaving India to get 57 off the final 38 deliveries. MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 55 to take the tourists over the line with four balls to spare. Kohli earned the Player of the Match award for his 39th ODI ton.
"Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games" - Sunil Gavaskar
Despite both Kohli and Rohit Sharma flopping in the series-opener, ex-Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar suggested that fans need to give the prolific pair time to come good as they are playing at the highest level for the first time since March. He told India Today:
"They were playing on probably the bounciest pitch in Australia. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially for players who haven’t played international cricket for a couple of months. It was challenging even for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who play regularly. India are still a very, very good team. Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games."
The third ODI will take place on October 25, Saturday in Sydney.
