The Wait Was Long, But the Stay Was Short: Rohit and Virat's Forgettable Comeback

Perth: Seven months of waiting. Millions of fans glued to their screens. Two of India's greatest batters walking out to huge cheers. And then, in what felt like a blink, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were back in the pavilion, leaving Indian supporters wondering what just happened.

The much-anticipated return of cricket's two superstars to international action turned into a nightmare at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday. Rohit managed just 8 runs off 14 balls, while Kohli suffered an even more painful dismissal—out for a duck in just eight deliveries. For fans who had cleared their Sunday schedules and woken up early, it was heartbreak served in the first hour itself.

Rohit Falls to the Perth Bounce

Opening the innings with new captain Shubman Gill, Rohit looked like he was trying to be aggressive from the start. But Josh Hazlewood had other plans. The tall Australian pacer exploited the extra bounce that Perth pitches are famous for, and after beating Rohit twice with deliveries that climbed sharply, he finally found the edge.

The ball flew straight to debutant Matt Renshaw at second slip, and Rohit's comeback was over. Eight runs, 14 balls, and a long walk back to the pavilion. Former India coach Ravi Shastri, commentating on the match, summed it up perfectly: "That's the thing in Perth. In India, this ball would have bounced at least a foot lower. That's the adjustment players have to make."

For someone who hadn't played competitive cricket since March, the adjustment proved too difficult.

Kohli's Unwanted Record

If Rohit's dismissal was disappointing, what happened to Virat Kohli next was absolutely crushing for Indian fans. Walking in at number three with India already one wicket down, Kohli faced his old rival Mitchell Starc under overcast skies on a lively pitch.

From the very first ball, Kohli looked uncomfortable. He was struck on the pads, and Starc followed it up with a tight maiden over that kept building the pressure. Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, watching from the commentary box, could sense what was coming. "You could almost feel his dismissal coming with the pressure building on Virat Kohli. As experienced as he is, you could see him getting a little bit itchy," Waugh said.

And then it happened. On the first ball of the seventh over, Kohli went for an uppish drive against a full delivery moving away from him. The ball took a thick outside edge and flew to backward point, where Cooper Connolly took a brilliant diving catch to his left.

A duck. Virat Kohli, one of the greatest ODI batters of all time, was out without scoring. And here's the kicker—this was his first-ever duck in an ODI in Australia. In 30 previous ODI innings on Australian soil, he had never failed to get off the mark. Until now.

The Painful Numbers

The statistics tell just how rare and painful this dismissal was:

• This was Kohli's 39th duck in international cricket

• Only Zaheer Khan (43) and Ishant Sharma (40) have more ducks for India across all formats

• Mitchell Starc became only the second bowler after James Anderson to dismiss Kohli twice for a duck in international cricket

• It was Kohli's third duck against Australia overall

• The eight balls he faced made it his second-longest duck innings in ODIs

For someone who averages over 54 against Australia in ODIs and has scored 1,327 runs with five centuries on Australian soil, this was a shocking failure.

The Team Crumbled Too

India's problems didn't end with the two legends. Captain Shubman Gill managed just 10 runs before falling to Nathan Ellis. Shreyas Iyer scored 11. India were suddenly 46 for 4, and with rain interrupting play multiple times, the situation only got worse.

The match was eventually reduced to 26 overs per side due to rain, and India could manage only 136 runs—well below what they would have hoped for with such experience in their batting lineup.

What They Said Before

The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Just before the match, Kohli had spoken confidently about his fitness and readiness. "I'm feeling as fit, if not fitter than I've ever been before, and yeah, you can just feel the freshness," he told Fox Sports.

He had also reflected on why he loves playing in Australia. "Growing up watching cricket as a kid, when we used to wake up early in the morning and watch daylight cricket in Australia, you'd see the ball flying off the pitch and the opposition in your face. And I used to feel like, wow, if I'd be able to step up in these conditions, that'd be something that I could be really proud of."

But on Sunday, neither fitness nor fond memories could help him deal with Mitchell Starc's swing and seam.

What This Means

Both Rohit and Virat are eyeing the 2027 ODI World Cup as potentially their last hurrah. At 38 and 37 respectively by then, they know time is running out. But performances like this will only increase the questions about whether they should continue or make way for younger players.

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had already been non-committal about their World Cup chances. "In two years' time, we don't know what the situation is going to be," he said at the NDTV World Summit just days before this match.

After this performance, those words ring even louder.

There's Still Time

The good news? This is just the first match of a three-game series. Adelaide and Sydney still await, and both Rohit and Virat have bounced back from failures before. Their records in Australia are too good to write them off after one bad day.

But for now, the comeback they dreamed of has turned into a nightmare they'll want to forget quickly. The wait was seven months long, but the stay at the crease was painfully short.