Sharma and Kohli Stage Dramatic Comeback in Final Series Down Under

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been two of the most prolific One-Day International players in cricket’s history. Having both retired simultaneously from the shortest and longest formats, their long-anticipated comeback in the recently completed Australia series came with emotions aplenty.

Perth awaited the two legendary batters’ return tour after seven months of international cricket without their presence.

Captain Mitchell Marsh put India in to bat, much to the excitement of Indian and global supporters. Yet, the anticipation turned into a nightmare quickly, as Sharma and Kohli fell quickly for eight and zero, respectively, in a dominant win for Australia on a characteristically spicy deck.

The second of three matches was at the venue notable for Kohli’s stellar performances over the years. Having scored centuries for fun in Adelaide during his prime run, many predicted a high score in his self-proclaimed beloved ground.

Sharma, instead, was the more impressive Indian batsman out of the two, and perhaps of the team. Having struggled through the magnificent bowling of Josh Hazlewood and Australia’s formidable pace attack with a powerplay control percentage of just 56, Sharma bounced back magnificently, scoring a team-high 73 runs in a much more competitive, yet unfruitful game for the Indians.

Kohli fared just four balls in what became his first series of two consecutive scores of zero in international cricket. The fear of a retirement for Kohli after two failures in two appearances became a worry ahead of the third match.

Skipper Marsh won his third toss of the series, choosing this time to bat first on a more batter-friendly Sydney pitch.

India’s young bowling came to the fore, with Harshit Rana and the three spinners performing exceedingly well to restrict Australia to a sub-par 236.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill came out composed, scoring a touch over 60 runs before the latter departed to the loud cheer as Virat Kohli came to the crease.

The duo’s last match on Australian soil, where they accumulated a total of 17 combined centuries, ended in an 168-run unbeaten partnership of the two senior statesmen of Indian cricket.

Rohit Sharma produced a fluent 121* off just 125, as Virat Kohli scored 74 unbeaten runs to take India home and secure a consolation win.