India vs Australia 2nd ODI will be played in Adelaide on Thursday. Shubman Gill and team are trailing 0-1 in the 3-match ODI series. In the second match, all eyes will be on the performance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, because both of them flopped badly in the last match. When Rohit was out after scoring 8 runs, Kohli could not even open his account. A day before the second match, Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak came to the press conference, where he answered the questions related to the form of Rohit and Kohli.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came to play international matches after about 8 months. But both were flops, the veterans also had to face criticism on social media regarding their form. The batting coach who came to the press conference was asked whether the form of these two batsmen was looking bad?

The coach gave this answer on the form of Rohit and Virat

Kotak said, “I don’t think so. They have played IPL, the preparation has been good. I think it (flop in the first ODI) happened because of the weather, if Australia had batted first, the same thing would have happened to them. When the match is stopped 4-5 times, you go in and then come out, it is not easy.”

When the batting coach was asked whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma needed guidance from the coach, he believed that unless absolutely necessary, there should be minimal intervention. He said, “Both the batsmen are experienced. They had done complete preparation before coming to Australia. I think it is too early to form an opinion about them. They have just retired from the Test format. Before coming here, we all knew their fitness level and preparation. We had got their videos in the NCA. There is no need to interfere immediately with such players if you feel that they are doing well. Too much interference would not be a good way.”

Both seem to be in good rhythm – batting coach

The coach further said, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were looking in good form. He batted well in the nets yesterday. “To be honest, I think he’s doing well.”

India vs Australia 2nd ODI will be played on 23 October at Adelaide Oval. According to Australia time, this match will start at 2 pm. The match will start at 9 am Indian time, the toss will take place at 8:30 am.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli flopped miserably in the first ODI against Australia. While former captain Rohit was out after scoring 8 runs in 14 balls, Kohli could not even open his account. Sunil Gavaskar gave a big statement regarding both. Let us tell you that this rain-affected match was played for 26 overs, which Australia won by 7 wickets.

After playing the match-winning innings in the Champions Trophy final, Rohit Sharma came to play his first international match on Sunday. He looked in trouble even in the beginning on the bouncy pitches of Perth, he could not play a big innings and was caught in the slip by Josh Hazlewood. After this, Kohli came at number three, he too was playing international matches after 224 days. Kohli was out on zero after playing 8 balls.

What did Sunil Gavaskar say about Rohit-Kohli?

Despite failing in Perth, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli got the support of Sunil Gavaskar. Speaking to India Today, he said, “They were playing on the most bouncy pitches of Australia, it was not easy, especially for those players who have not been playing international cricket for many months. It was also challenging for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who have been playing international cricket continuously.”

Gavaskar further said, “Team India is still good, they have won the Champions Trophy. Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two matches. They are coming back after a few months, the more they play, the more time they spend in the nets, and the more throwdowns they get, bowling from 20 yards from the reserve bowlers, the sooner they will get back to their rhythm. Once runs start coming from his bat, Team India’s total score will be more than 300,300.”

Second ODI is in Adelaide

The second ODI match between India and Australia will be played in Adelaide on Thursday, October 23. Kohli’s record here is good, he has scored 244 runs at a strike rate of 83.84 in 4 ODI innings played in this stadium. He has scored a century twice on this ground, his highest score is 107 runs.

Rohit Sharma has scored a total of 131 runs in 6 ODI innings played in Adelaide, his highest score is 43. That means he has never been able to score even a half-century in ODI on this ground.