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Shubman Gill’s first outing as India’s ODI captain ended in a frustrating defeat as Australia cruised to a seven-wicket victory in the series opener in Perth. Gill, following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli, now joins an unwanted record of Indian captains losing their first match in charge across formats. Despite rain interruptions and a truncated 26-over innings, India’s top order faltered early, leaving the new captain with a difficult chase. Australia, winning the toss and electing to field, restricted India to 136 for nine. KL Rahul was the lone bright spot, scoring a quickfire 38 off 31 balls and forging vital partnerships with Axar Patel (31) and Washington Sundar (10) to stabilise the innings after the top three, Rohit Sharma (8), Gill (10), and Virat Kohli (0), collapsed for just 18 runs combined. The trio’s dismal showing marked the lowest aggregate by India’s top three in a men’s ODI since 2019. Nitish Reddy finished the innings with a brisk 19 not out, including two sixes, helping India post a competitive total under the Duckworth-Lewis system. In reply, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh guided his side to a comfortable win, remaining unbeaten on 46 while sharing strong partnerships with Matthew Short (8), Josh Philippe (37), and Matt Renshaw, who scored 21 not out on his ODI debut. The visitors reached the revised target of 131 in just 21.1 overs, nearly five overs to spare, showcasing clinical execution under pressure. Gill, reflecting on the match, acknowledged the learning curve for his new role: “When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game. A lot of learning for us from this game, and a lot of positives for us as well. We were defending 130 and we took the game, not till the very end, but pretty deep. We were very satisfied with that.” India’s tour continues with ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney later this week, followed by a five-match T20 series from October 29. While the series opener ended in disappointment, Gill and his team will hope to bounce back quickly against a confident Australian side.
