Australia defeated India by 7 wickets in the first ODI at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The match was reduced to 26 overs after four rain delays, with the Men in Blue managing just 136/9. The target was recalculated, and the hosts were given 131 runs to win the contest, which they did in 21.4 overs. India’s new ODI captain, Shubman Gill, was not happy with the performance of the top three batters and highlighted their failure in the series opener. For the record, Gill and Rohit Sharma opened the innings while Virat Kohli came at the No.3 spot.

Rohit was the first batter to depart after scoring 8 runs. He was soon followed by Virat, who recorded his first ODI duck in Australia. Aussie wicket-keeper caught Shubman on an individual score of 10 runs. Chasing 131 runs, Mitchell Marsh scored an unbeaten 46 and was named the Player of the Match.

“It is never easy when you lose three wickets in the powerplay overs. You are always playing a catch-up game in such a scenario,” Gill said.

He also mentioned a rare positive from the match. “I liked the way bowlers took the game deep despite defending just 131 runs. It didn’t go to the last over, but we showed some fight,” he added.

The 26-year-old thanked the Indian fans for turning out in huge numbers. “We are fortunate enough that fans turned up in huge numbers. Wherever we go, we get a lot of support,” he concluded.