Perth: Senior stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hit the ground running soon after their arrival here and spent a considerable time in the nets during the Indian team’s first training session ahead of the ODI series against Australia beginning here on Sunday.
All eyes are on Rohit and Kohli, who last played for India in the Champions Trophy in February-March, and are available only in the 50-over format.
Both the former India captains batted for close to 30 minutes in the nets. The Indian team arrived here in two batches over Wednesday and Thursday for the white-ball tour comprising three ODIs and five T20s, starting October 29.
Rohit was also seen having a long chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir after his time in the nets.
Post the net session, Kohli was seen having a chat with bowling coach Morne Morkel which was followed by a light moment with pacer Arshdeep Singh. The team also has a training session lined up on Friday and Saturday.
ODIs challenge for RO-KO? Watson thinks so
new delhi: Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson reckons it would be challenging for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to extend their exemplary run in ODI cricket now that they play only one format.
The modern game is dominated by T20s while India also play a lot of Test cricket, leaving little room for the ODI format. Having retired from T20s and Tests, Rohit and Kohli’s first assignment since the Champions Trophy in February-March will be the upcoming Australia series, starting on October 19.
It is tough for a player to remain razor sharp being a one format cricketer, a case in point is former India opener Shikhar Dhawan who could not keep his place in the ODI side soon after captaining the side.
“For Virat and Rohit, it’s going to be a challenge playing just one format of international cricket. Getting their skills sharp again to face the best bowlers will take some adjustment. But you can never rule out champions and Virat and Rohit are exactly that. It may take a bit of time for them to find the right preparation, but once they do, they’ll be ready to go when they take on Australia,” Watson said.
“It might take a little time to find the right preparation rhythm to face the best bowlers in the world. But these two are as good as one-day batters get. It won’t take them long to find the right formula.”