Former India captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to international cricket after more than seven months on Sunday, October 19, facing Australia in Perth. However, the legendary duo could only manage 8 and 0 runs, respectively, disappointing fans who had high expectations.

Despite the forgettable performance, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed confidence in their ability to bounce back.

“They were playing on probably the bounciest pitch in Australia. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially for players who haven’t played international cricket for a couple of months. It was challenging for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who usually play international cricket quite regularly,” Gavaskar told India Today.

Gavaskar Backs Their Comeback

Gavaskar emphasized that India remains a strong side and predicted big scores from the duo in upcoming matches, “India are still a very, very good team. They have won the Champions Trophy. Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games. They are coming back after a few months away from international cricket. The more they play, the more time they spend in the nets, and the more throwdowns they get, maybe even from the reserve bowlers bowling at them from 20 years instead of 22, the quicker they will find their rhythm. Once they are back among the runs, India’s total will be 300, 300-plus,” he added.

Adelaide: A Venue of Good Memories

The second ODI is scheduled at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23, where Kohli has an impressive batting history. He scored twin centuries at Adelaide on his Test captaincy debut in 2014, and his first Test century also came at the same venue. In ODIs, Kohli registered a century at Adelaide during India’s 2015 World Cup opener against Pakistan.

Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, has scored 131 runs in six ODIs at Adelaide Oval and will have a chance to achieve a milestone during the second ODI. He currently has 998 runs in 20 India-Australia ODIs in Australia and is aiming to become the first player to cross 1,000 runs in this context. Kohli is second on the list with 802 runs in 19 ODIs.