Rohit was appointed India’s full-time T20I skipper in November last year.
The Men in Blue lost the toss and were asked to bat first. Speaking at the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his delight on leading the national side in an ICC tournament for the first time, saying he would look to enjoy the role through the competition.
Notably, Rohit was appointed India’s full-time T20I skipper after Virat Kohli stepped down from the position in November last year.
"It's a privilege, my first time as Indian captain in an ICC tournament and I'll look to enjoy this," Rohit said at the toss.
When asked about the goals from today's match, the Indian captain said that the team was looking to try a few things out and did not mind setting a target heading into the main event.
"Just wanted to try out things, we don't mind batting first and setting a target. We came here early and had a preparatory camp in Perth. These two games will allow us to get into the groove, we want to try out certain things in the two games we have here," he said.
One of India's biggest issues coming into the tournament has been their pace bowling attack. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the fast bowlers have failed to step up to the plate, especially in tight matches.
However, Rohit said he knew the bowlers he wanted to play in a game but it was important to give the bowlers that confidence.
"I know which bowlers will play in my mind, but it's important to give them confidence. Few of them are on their first tour of Australia, a fantastic place to play cricket and enjoy while learning the conditions," the captain concluded.
Team India are part of Group 2 in the Super 12 stage alongside Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh while two teams will join them from the qualifiers. They will begin their Super 12 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at MCG on October 23.