AUS vs IND: Indian Batting Coach Blames Weather for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Perth Struggles

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma struggled in Perth mainly because constant rain interruptions broke their rhythm.

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their struggles in the first ODI against Australia on October 19 at Perth. Kohli was dismissed for a duck, while Rohit managed just 8 runs. Questions arose over their match readiness, as both players had not featured in international cricket for seven months.

Kotak attributed their early dismissals partly to frequent rain interruptions that disrupted the flow of the game. He stressed that both batters had prepared well in the IPL and were not rusty, but repeated breaks made it challenging to build momentum.

“I do not think so. They played the IPL. The preparation has been very good. I think it was the weather. It would have been the same if Australia had come out to bat first. It is not easy when there are four or five interruptions and every two overs you are going in and coming back out,” Kotak was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Kotak Dismisses Concerns Over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Break

Notably, both players had trained extensively, with their fitness and net sessions closely monitored through NCA videos. Kotak confirmed that Kohli and Rohit looked in good touch during practice ahead of the series.

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“Both of them are very experienced. Before coming to Australia, they had proper preparation. I think it is too early to judge them. They just retired from Test cricket. Coming into the series, we were aware of their fitness levels and the preparation work they had been doing. We had access to their videos from the NCA. With such senior players, you do not need to step in right away if you see they are doing the right things. If you try to get involved too much, that might not be the best approach,” he said.

“Both Virat and Rohit looked in good touch. They batted well in the nets yesterday. I believe they are doing well, to be honest,” the coach concluded.