AUS vs IND 2025: "No matter how big a batter you are, this is a game of rhythm" - Former India cricketer questions Rohit, Virat's preparation

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international cricket for the first time on Sunday, October 19, since the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March. However, the two former India captains didn't have a fruitful outing on their comeback, which was in the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

After Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl first, Josh Hazlewood got the better of Rohit in the fourth over. The Mumbai batter made eight runs off 14 balls. On the other hand, Kohli was dismissed by his arch-nemesis, Mitchell Starc, in the seventh over. The right-handed batter failed to open his account after facing eight balls.

While Rohit and Kohli did prepare for the series in different setups, it was the lack of acclimatisation to Australian conditions that Mohammad Kaif questioned. The former India cricketer opined that both Rohit and Kohli lacked rhythm in their batting.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had the opportunity. But maybe they thought they would go together with the team, as people are behind them anyway. There might have been pressure, like ‘Virat should travel with the team’; he has shifted to England, so that pressure was there. It would have been another problem if he had not travelled with the team. So he got caught in this,” said Kaif on his YouTube channel.

“These two had an opportunity to go there eight to ten days earlier. No matter how big a batter you are, this is a game of rhythm. A team like Australia will not spare you if you are not in rhythm. I feel it would have been better if they had arrived earlier,” he added.

He seemed to be in two minds: Kaif

Kaif believes that Rohit would have hit Hazlewood for a six instead of getting out had he been in form and rhythm. The cricketer-turned-expert explained that because he was short on practice, Rohit wanted to give himself some time to get used to the surface, and the indecision led to his downfall.

“Rohit pulls the short ball. He pulls the ball that he got out to. But because he did not have enough game practice and it was seaming with Hazlewood in good rhythm, he had to be prepared. If he is in form, he hits that ball for a six. But maybe here he thought to take some time and get used to the pitch. He seemed to be in two minds. Due to a lack of practice and preparation, his confidence was low in this game,” said Kaif.