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Australia didn't have to break a sweat as they comfortably crushed India by seven wickets in the first ODI in Perth on October 19. With this Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Notably, this was India's first defeat in ODIs in 2025.
Australia spoil Ro-Ko's return, beat India by 7 wickets
The match was reduced to 26 overs due to continuous rain interruptions and Australia invited to India to bat first. Bigwigs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who were playing their first international cricket after Champions Trophy, failed to fire with the bat and India ended up posting just 136/9. Due to DLS method, Australia were handed a 131-run target, which they overhauled with 29 balls to spare, thanks to Mitchell Marsh's 52-ball 46. Both the sides will meet again in the second ODI which will be played on October 23.
Josh Hazlewood breaks India's back
Earlier, the highly anticipated comeback party for Virat and Rohit was remarkably short-lived, with the two combining for only 22 balls at the crease. Their minimal impact was a key factor in India's underwhelming total of 136 for nine against Australia in the rain-affected series opener. Constant rain breaks had already reduced the game to a 26-over-per-side contest. Beyond a brief period when KL Rahul was batting well (scoring 38 off 30 balls), the Indian team struggled to build any sort of batting momentum.
With grey skies overhead, Australia predictably chose to bowl first, a decision that paid off as the pitch at Optus Stadium offered significant extra bounce. Rohit Sharma (8 runs) walked out alongside the new captain, Shubman Gill, to loud cheers from the Perth crowd, but his stay lasted only 14 balls. Though he did hit a magnificent straight drive off Mitchell Starc—a fleeting reminder of his best form—his innings was cut short by Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood found steep bounce from a quarter-length delivery, which kissed the sticker on Rohit's bat and was safely caught by debutant Matthew Renshaw at second slip.
Virat then strode onto the field to an even louder ovation, yet his familiar ODI dominance was nowhere to be seen. His brief, agonizing eight-ball innings revealed that an age-old weakness still persists: a tendency to prod outside the off-stump. It was this habit that led to his dismissal. Attempting a drive on the up off left-arm pacer Starc, the ball took a thick edge. Cooper Connolly at backward point then completed a superb diving catch, curtailing Kohli's return before he could trouble the scorers.
This duck marked Virat's first-ever zero score in Australia. Following this collective failure, both Kohli and Rohit Sharma will need to produce significant performances in the upcoming ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney to demonstrate they still possess the drive and form necessary for a sustained run in international cricket. In contrast to his senior colleagues, young opener Gill looked assured but was dismissed casually. Attempting to flick a ball from Nathan Ellis down the leg side, he ended up being caught by wicketkeeper Josh Philippe.
The middle order offered little stability. Shreyas, after hitting a superb square cut for four off Hazlewood, fell to an almost identical delivery as Gill. Hazlewood continued to exploit the bounce, strangling Iyer for space with another bouncer that he edged to Philippe. This dismissal saw India slump to a dismal 45 for four in the 14th over. The innings finally found some momentum with a 39-run fifth-wicket partnership between Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul. This stand was broken when Axar was caught off spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. Rahul was the standout performer of the innings, looking impressive as he handled the extra bounce well, getting nicely over the ball. His straight drive and a pulled four off successive balls from Ellis were a particular highlight. Rahul accelerated effectively once the spinners were introduced, smashing Matthew Short for two consecutive sixes. He and Washington Sundar added 30 runs for the sixth wicket, but the limited number of overs due to the rain ultimately prevented India from achieving a necessary late-innings acceleration.
Mitchell Marsh's captain's knock
Chasing a revised target of 131 runs from 26 overs, Australia's innings began with early setbacks. Openers Travis Head and number three batsman Matthew Short were both dismissed for just eight runs each, falling to Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel within the first eight overs.
Despite the shaky start, Captain Mitchell Marsh anchored the chase, leading his team's defiance with a brilliant, unbeaten knock of 46 runs off 52 balls, including two fours and three powerful sixes. He found a reliable partner in Josh Philippe (37 runs), and the pair formed a crucial, match-defining 55-run partnership. Philippe was eventually dismissed by Washington Sundar (who had figures of 1-14), but Marsh continued to consolidate the innings alongside Matt Renshaw (21* off 24). Their partnership steered Australia to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory with 4.5 overs to spare.
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