Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh reckoned that Virat Kohli's shaky body language suggested that he was about to be dismissed in the first ODI at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Virat Kohli is featuring for India after 224 days
Kohli, who donned the India jersey after 224 days, got out on an eight-ball duck. The batting great, coming at number three after Rohit Sharma's dismissal in the fifth over, was unable to survive the overcast conditions against the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Mark Waugh on Virat Kohli's dismissal
The right-handed batter got hit on the pads on the first ball he faced. Kohli was seen struggling to find the gaps. On the first ball of the seventh over, Kohli tried to score against Starc. He tried to play an uppish drive against a fullish delivery going away from him, but was unable to connect the ball well and got a thick outside edge, and Cooper Connoly picked a brilliant catch to pack another wicket. After Kohli's dismissal, Mark Waugh said that Kohli was feeling the building pressure from the string of dot balls.
"You could almost feel that coming with the pressure building on Virat Kohli. As experienced as he is, you could see him getting a little bit itchy," Mark Waugh told Fox Cricket (via Wide World of Sports).
Rohit managed to score eight runs
Apart from Virat, Rohit Sharma, who is also featuring in international cricket after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final failed to perform in the first ODI as he got out after scoring eight runs.
India vs Australia match reduced due to rain
Coming back to the match, the first ODI between India and Australia was reduced to a 35-over-a-side game after the rain played spoilsport in Perth. India were struggling at 37 for three in 11.5 overs when rain halted the proceedings. Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 7 overs. Shreyas Iyer (6) and Axar Patel (7) will resume India's quest for a strong total. Notably, this is the first time that Kohli got out on a duck in ODIs in Australia.