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New Delhi: India's senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bid an emotional farewell to the Australian crowd on Saturday, October 25. Playing their final match in Australia, they forged an unbeaten 168-run partnership for the second wicket to help India secure a dominating 9-wicket win at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for both players, with Rohit first coming to Australia for the CB Series in 2007-08 while Kohli’s first tour with the senior team was in the 2011-12 season, when he announced his arrival to the Aussie audience with a Test hundred at Adelaide.
Over the years, Rohit has scored 2266 runs in 58 matches across formats in Australia, while Kohli has notched up 3690 runs in 67 games at an average of 51.67. Both batters were under immense pressure after failing to score runs in the first ODI. While Rohit came back to form with a brilliant fifty in the second game, Kohli scored second consecutive duck for the first time in his ODI career.
In the third ODI, Rohit notched up his 50th international ton while Kohli scored his 75th fifty, helping India to avoid a series sweep. They are aiming to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is set to be hosted in Africa.
After the match, Kohli and Rohit shared their thoughts with Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist. Kohli said that they love coming to Australia and have played some good cricket in the country. He also talked about his knock in Sydney and said that chasing always brings out the best of him.
"I think it all started in 2013 (the home series against Australia), if we put up a big partnership, play around 20 overs, we know we'll go a long way in helping the team win and even the opposition realise it. We've loved coming to this country, we've played some good cricket, thank you guys for coming in big numbers and supporting us," Kohli added.
Former ODI captain Rohit echoed Kohli's sentiments and said that he enjoyed playing cricket at the SCG as it brought back memories of his first tour of Australia in 2008. He thanked the Australian fans for their support.
"We've enjoyed playing cricket regardless of all the accolades over the years. Forget about what happened in the last 15 years, I've always loved playing here, I think it'll be the same for Virat as well. Thank you Australia," Rohit said.
Rohit and Virat will be in action during the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which is set to begin on November 30.
