Perth: Rain-soaked skies couldn’t wash away Team India’s woes as Australia clinched a commanding seven-wicket victory in the rain-curtailed first ODI at Optus Stadium on Sunday, leaving fans questioning: Who truly shoulders the blame for this humiliating Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) defeat?
Batting first under gloomy conditions, India crumbled to a paltry 136 for nine in 26 overs, a total Australia overhauled with ease in 19 overs, losing just three wickets. The collapse wasn’t the work of one villain but a collective batting meltdown, with the star-studded top order — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer — failing to fire when it mattered most. Expectations soared for these big guns, yet they delivered duds, handing the hosts an unassailable edge on a seaming track.
Returning to international cricket after 222 days, Kohli’s comeback lasted a mere eight balls, nicking Mitchell Starc for a golden duck. Rohit, the Hitman, fared marginally better with 8 off 14 before Josh Hazlewood castled him. Captain Gill, burdened with leading the line post his trio’s exit, flopped spectacularly, unable to anchor. Iyer, eyed as the sheet-anchor, succumbed to Hazlewood’s bouncer, exposing familiar frailties. “The top four let us down badly,” sighed a dejected fan outside the stadium, echoing the scoreboard’s stark truth.
Australia’s bowlers, led by Starc’s fiery spell, exploited the conditions ruthlessly, while their chase — powered by opener Mitchell Marsh — exposed India’s fragility. As the three-match series heads to Sydney, India must regroup fast. Is it rust, rust, or something deeper? The real culprit stares back from the mirror of underperformance.