🇮🇳 India vs Australia 1st ODI 2025: Rain, Wickets, and Missed Opportunities
India and Australia 1st ODI 2025 kicked off at Optus Stadium, Perth, on October 19, 2025. Rain interruptions defined the game, but Australia adapted brilliantly to claim a 7-wicket victory (DLS method), taking an early 1-0 lead in the series.
India batted first and managed 136/9 in 26 overs after multiple reductions due to rain. The Australian bowlers applied pressure from the start, and India’s top order, including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, failed to fire. KL Rahul anchored the innings with 38 runs, while Axar Patel provided a late push, but the total remained below par.
⚡ Australia’s Clinical Chase
Australia was set a revised target of 131 under the DLS method. Mitchell Marsh led the chase with an unbeaten 46, supported by Travis Head’s aggressive approach. A 62-run opening partnership set the foundation, and despite India’s attempts to break the momentum, Australia crossed the line at 131/3 in 21.1 overs, showcasing superior adaptability and composure in a stop-start match.
🔍 Key Takeaways
India:
- Top-order collapse under pressure.
- Struggled to build partnerships and accelerate the innings.
- Tactical hesitations in managing rain-reduced targets.
But this was almost the same Indian team who won the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Definitely the conditions changed, but this is international cricket, and these all are international players they should have adapt.
BCCI could have send some players earlier to Australia who were not a part of Ind vs WI test squad considering the fact that some players who are only part of the ODI squad missing match time. This could have provide more practice time to players.
Australia:
- Disciplined bowling by Starc and Hazlewood set the tone.
- Composed batting under revised target conditions.
- Strong fielding and tactical awareness maintained control throughout.
Australia bowled really well under their own conditions, and Perth is known to be always tough venue where fast bowlers are always effective. Hazelwood and Starc asked tough questions to Indian batters in this rain affected match. Both were very disciplined, and Ellis, Owen, and Kuhnemann complemented them by taking other wickets.
👤 Players of the Match
- Mitchell Marsh (Australia): 46*, anchored the chase.
The captain of Australia Mitchell Marsh scored 46 (52) hitting 3 brilliant sixes with 2 boundaries and became Player of the Match. Marsh is known for his aggressive batting style and followed his natural style, and started the series with good form.
- KL Rahul (India): 38, held India’s innings together.
I can’t skip writing about KL Rahul, however India didn’t win the match, but after performing in Test’s really well this, KL Rahul again showed his maturity and class, unfortunately he failed to convert the score to big runs. Rahul is consistent performer for India in ODI’s and Test’s. We saw in England Test series, and before that his contribution in Champions Trophy was impactful.
- Mitchell Starc & Josh Hazlewood: Early breakthroughs and pressure with the new ball.
📊 Bigger Picture
- India’s 8-match ODI winning streak ended.
- Australia gains momentum, setting the tone for Adelaide and Sydney ODIs.
- India needs top-order consistency and better middle-order acceleration to bounce back.
🔮 What to Watch Next
- India’s top-order adjustments and middle-order response.
- Tactical strategies in rain-affected games.
- Australia maintaining momentum and consistency in upcoming ODIs.
Bowling Rotation & Captaincy Decisions:
Shubman Gill, wearing the captaincy cap in this match, faced criticism for bowling Arshdeep Singh only 2 overs until the 16th over. Should he have used his strike bowlers earlier to stem Australia’s chase? How much of this was tactical caution versus misjudgment?
Arshdeep got early wicket of Travis Head, but he he had to wait for his 3rd until 16th over. One bowler has the opportunity to bowl 6 overs, and this match was not full game of 50 overs, in small total games you should utilize your main resources well, but in this match Arshdeep was under-utilized. Indian think tank have to revisit on this to avoid these kind of mistakes in upcoming matches.
Please write us what you think on this match, what went well for Australia and what went wrong for Indian ? Predictions on upcoming matches ?
