India’s promising young opener, Shubman Gill, stepped onto the field as the full-time ODI captain for the first time in Australia. However, his debut outing as skipper ended in disappointment as India lost to Australia by seven wickets in a rain-affected match.
Despite the setback, Gill remained positive in his post-match comments, highlighting the lessons learned and the fighting spirit his team showed under pressure.
“A Lot of Positives to Take Away,” Says Gill
Facing a tough Australian pace attack, India’s batting lineup crumbled early, with three major wickets falling for just 35 runs inside the first nine overs. This included the dismissals of veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Gill himself, who scored 10 off 18 balls.
“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game,” Gill admitted at the post-match presentation. Still, he emphasized the team’s resilience while defending a modest target of 130, taking the match “pretty deep.”
“A lot of learning for us from this game and a lot of positives as well. We were defending 130, and we took the game, not till the very end, but deep enough. We were very satisfied with that,” he added.
Team India Eyes a Comeback in Adelaide
The Men in Blue now head to Adelaide for the second ODI, which has become a must-win clash in the three-match series. After dominating the format earlier in the year with eight straight wins, this loss marked India’s first ODI defeat in 2025.
Gill, taking the pressure of leadership in stride, urged fans to come out in strong support once again, just like they did in Perth. “We are very fortunate. The fans turned up in huge numbers, and hopefully, they’ll be able to cheer us on in Adelaide as well,” he said.
In an unfortunate stat, Gill joined Virat Kohli as the only Indian captains to lose their debut match in every format—a reminder of how challenging the leadership transition can be, even for the most talented players.
India will now look to regroup and bounce back quickly, knowing that another defeat would hand the series to Australia. All eyes will be on Adelaide, where the young skipper will have another shot to inspire his team to victory.
