Perth [Australia], October 19 : India's left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh didn't dwell too much on Virat Kohli's eight-ball duck during the seven-wicket defeat in the series opener against Australia in Perth and expects runs to flow from the chase-master's bat in the remaining two ODIs, a format that he has "mastered".
Since lifting the Champions Trophy on March 9, Virat returned to the international circuit at Perth's Optus Stadium on Sunday for the first time in more than six months. Fans expected Virat to engineer a run fest in the seaming conditions, but Mitchell Starc lured him to chase for a big drive away from his body.
Virat took the bait and gave away a thick outside edge, and Cooper Connolly completed a catch with an acrobatic effort at backward point to punch the 36-year-old's return for an eight-ball duck.Despite the misfiring start in his 303rd ODI, Arshdeep has banked on Virat to find his lost mojo. The 26-year-old wants to continue to revel in his presence in the dressing room, which is a "blessing" for him.
"He's (Virat) played more than 300 one-dayers for India. So form is just a word for him. He knows how to get going. And it's like a blessing to be in the same dressing room with him. And going forward, I feel there'll be a lot of runs for him in this series as well. And talking about the format he's playing, he's mastered this one. So I don't know how he feels about it (his dismissal)," Arshdeep told reporters in the post-match press conference.
In a one-sided affair, India's top-order comprising Rohit Sharma (8), Virat (0), and captain Shubman Gill (10) floundered under the overcast and seaming conditions after being put to bat by Australia. After Gill returned to the dressing room, the weather gods intervened on four occasions, further hindering India's cause.
The most meaningful stand for India was stitched by Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul (38), who took calculated risks and added 39 runs on the board. Nitish Reddy flaunted his six-hitting capacity and tonked two towering maximums to inject much-needed impetus as India limped to 136/9 in a fixture reduced to 26 overs.
While citing the example of Rahul and Axar, Arshdeep acknowledged that the wicket was decent to bat on if a player spent time on the crease. However, he was quick to point out that regular interruptions made it hard for batters to maintain their concentration levels.
"It was a good wicket if you spent some time on it. We saw the partnership between KL and Axar. The runs were coming. But it was important to spend time on the wicket. But the start and stop was happening. So it's difficult to keep the concentration for the batter. And the credit also goes to them. They bowled from a good area. They got a lot of help from the wicket. And where the credit is due, they should also go. They have bowled well," Arshdeep added.
Australia had to gun down a revised 131-run target via the DLS method, and stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh blew away India with a swift 46* off 52 deliveries. Riding high on Marsh's blistering form in white-ball formats, Australia celebrated its first ODI win at the Optus Stadium in Perth as Shubman Gill's ODI captaincy stint began on a bitter note.
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