IND vs AUS: "With such senior players..."- India batting coach defends Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli over poor batting show in Perth ODI

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s preparations were very good before coming to Australia.

Indian Cricket Team’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has defended Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli over their poor batting show in the opening ODI against Australian Cricket Team. Kotak also reiterated that both of them prepared very well ahead of the Australia tour and have shown brilliant performance in training sessions ahead of the second ODI in Adelaide.

Rohit and Kohli made a comeback to international cricket after a long gap of seven months. However, they completely failed to grab the limelight with their performance in the first ODI, which was played at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19. While Kohli was dismissed for a duck in the encounter, Rohit could only score eight runs before losing his wicket.

Notably, both of them prepared for the ODI series against Australia for a sufficient time since their last appearance in national jerseys was in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March. During their last outing in competitive cricket in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, they were quite impressive with their batting performance for their respective teams.

I don’t think there was any rustiness: Sitanshu Kotak on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Speaking during the pre-match press conference of the second ODI between Australia and India, batting coach Kotak dismissed any concerns about rustiness in Rohit and Kohli’s form. Kotak added that both batting legends have looked in very good touch in training sessions.

“I don’t think there was any rustiness. They played the IPL, and their preparation has been very good. I think both of them have a lot of experience. Even before coming to Australia, their preparations were very good. So I think it’s too early to even think like that. They both look in very good touch to me. They batted really well yesterday. Every net session, their approach has been excellent,” he said.

Kotak also clarified that management took note of Rohit and Kohli’s fitness during their preparation for the Australia series. However, he also clarified that it’s not logical to intervene with such senior players frequently when they are on the right track.

“The team management maintained contact with Rohit and Kohli during their break from national duty after the Champions Trophy victory in March. We were very much aware of what preparations they were doing and their fitness status. They sometimes go to the National Cricket Academy. We get updates and videos from there, what they’re doing, their practice routines, fitness work,” he noted.

“But not always, to be very honest. You need to find the right time to intervene. With such senior players, you don’t want to intervene if it’s not required. If they are doing things right and you still try to get involved, it may not be the right thing to do always,” he further added.

Sitanshu Kotak blames weather for India’s poor batting show in Perth ODI

Speaking about India’s poor batting show in the Perth ODI, Kotak blamed rain to be an important factor behind the team’s struggles. He also reckoned that Australia would have suffered similar batting woes if they had batted first. Notably, the Perth ODI was affected multiple times due to rain in the first innings and was reduced to 26 overs per side.

“I think it would have been the same if Australia had batted first. When you don’t know how many overs you’re going to bat, it’s not easy to plan with four or five rain breaks. Going in and out every few overs, it’s difficult. I think it was more about weather, to be very honest. In the last game, obviously, we lost a couple of wickets early, but I’m not really thinking too much about it,” Kotak stated.

Meanwhile, the Shubman Gill & Co. will aim for a comeback in the second ODI, scheduled to be played on October 23 (Thursday) at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. Trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, the visitors need to win the next game at any cost to keep their chances of series victory alive.

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