Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has praised ex-India captain and opener Rohit Sharma for his fighting spirit in the Adelaide ODI against Australia on October 23, 2025. Rohit, who failed in the first ODI with a single-digit score, showed resilience and grit on a spicy Adelaide pitch.
Rohit played a stellar 73-run knock, which came off 97 balls and included seven boundaries and two maximums. India lost the second ODI and the series.
"As a player, you might forget some of your big hundreds or double centuries, but there are certain knocks that stay with you, especially the ones where you've had to fight hard. Rohit Sharma may not remember this innings for the runs he scored, but knowing him personally, he'll take great satisfaction from it. As a batter, when you make runs in tough conditions, it gives you a different kind of joy, much like a bowler getting wickets on a flat pitch," Abhishek Nayar, JioStar expert, told 'Cricket Live.'
"Rohit might be disappointed for not converting it into a big score, but deep down, he'll know he worked hard for every run today. His resilience stood out. That's what impressed me the most about this Indian team today: their resilience. Even when it looked like Australia would cruise to victory, they kept fighting. And Rohit embodied that spirit. Despite being constantly tested, whenever he got a loose delivery, he made the most of it. That intent, combined with grit, defined his innings," he added.
Rohit Sharma’s 73, Shreyas Iyer’s 61, and Axar Patel’s 44 took India to 264/9 in 50 overs. However, half-centuries from Matt Short and Cooper Connolly led Australia to a narrow two-wicket win in Adelaide. This win also gave the hosts a 2-0 series win over India, with one more match to go.
JioStar expert Varun Aaron analysed India's performance in the match.
"I think there's never just one reason why a team loses. The way Josh Hazlewood bowled was outstanding. He simply didn't give away anything with the new ball. India couldn't get off to a quick start, and then they struggled to build partnerships. If you compare the two sides, Australia had three 50-plus partnerships and even a 30-run stand at the top, while India only managed a 100-run partnership and couldn't cross 50 in any other.
The Aussies kept building through the innings and always stayed in the game. There was also a small phase where India leaked too many runs. They should have bowled Washington Sundar more to Connolly, and Harshit Rana's short spell, nearly 40 runs in three overs, really hurt India's momentum. That's where the game slipped away," he said on 'Cricket Live.'
The third ODI will be played in Sydney on October 25, 2025, with India looking to avoid a whitewash.
