Rohit Sharma had scored only 8 runs after facing 28 of the first 36 deliveries of the Indian innings. More than 50% of those were either plays and misses or left alone. This was the fewest runs Rohit had scored in his first 20 balls since the 2019 ODI World Cup. The former Indian captain was in the middle of one of the most painful stays at the crease, but he was not giving up. He was desperate to save his wicket. He even put in a big dive in the third over of the innings when there was a near mix-up with captain Shubman Gill.
What this did was put a lot of pressure on Gill at the other end. The Indiana captain was not getting a lot of strikes,ke and the Indian innings were going nowhere, and Gill felt he had to be the aggressor to get the scoreboard moving. He thought Xavier Bartlett was his best choice for doing that.
In the first ball of the seventh over, Gill took a couple of steps towards Bertlett but got too close to the ball. He did not get the elevation. All he managed was a scoop to the mid-off, where Australia captain Mitchell Marsh moved swiftly to his right to take a sharp catch. Gill was devastated. It was his second failure in as many innings as India's ODI skipper. He was dismissed for 10 in the first ODI at Perth when he was caught down the leg side off Josh Hazlewood.
It would probably be an exaggeration to state that Rohit's struggles at the other end were the main reason behind Gill's dismissal, but they surely did play a part. Gill grew frustrated, and in the end, a forced shot in search of a boundary brought about his downfall.
“He was looking far better than Rohit Sharma,” said former India opener Abhinav Mukund in the commentary box.
Betlett gave India another body blow in the same over by dismissing Virat Kohli for a four-ball duck. The Indian legend was dismissed for consecutive ducks for the first time in his international career.
After a couple of wickets, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer put on a good partnership that bailed India out of trouble, but just when both were looking to put the foot on the accelerator, tragedy struck. Rohit was out for 73 while trying to pull Michell Starc for a six, while Iyer dragged an Adam Zampa delivery back onto his stumps for 61.The Indian legend was dismissed for consecutive ducks for the first time in his international career.
After a couple of wickets, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer put on a good partnership that bailed India out of trouble, but just when both were looking to put the foot on the accelerator, tragedy struck. Rohit was out for 73 while trying to pull Michell Starc for a six, while Iyer dragged an Adam Zampa delivery back onto his stumps for 61.