The much-anticipated return of star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to international cricket ended quickly during the first ODI against Australia in Perth on Sunday. Both players, featuring for India for the first time in over seven months, were dismissed cheaply, leaving the team in early trouble at 25/3. Kohli was out for an eight-ball duck, while former captain Sharma managed just eight runs.
Sharma, opening with new ODI captain Shubman Gill, was the first to go. In the fourth over, he fell prey to Josh Hazlewood’s hard length, which found extra bounce and took the outside edge, flying to debutant Matt Renshaw at second slip. A few overs later, Kohli’s brief and uncomfortable stay ended. He chased a wide delivery from Mitchell Starc, with the resulting outside edge taken by a spectacular diving catch from Cooper Connolly at backward point.
This was the first international appearance for both Kohli and Sharma since the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March. With both players having retired from Tests and T20Is, their ODI careers are under intense speculation. Before the game, Kohli told Fox Sports he was “feeling as fit if not fitter than I’ve ever been before” and that the break was "a very refreshing time off."
The pair's low scores come amidst uncertainty about their future in the format. Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar recently offered a non-committal stance on their participation in the 2027 World Cup. “Look they are part of the squad at the moment for Australia. In two years’ time, we don’t know what the situation is going to be,” Agarkar had stated at the NDTV World Summit 2025 on Friday.