Ro-Ko is back! Key takeaways from India's first practice session in Perth

Virat Kohli was seen parsing his shots on outside-off balls, an issue that caused him a lot of trouble last time he was in Australia

The Indian cricket team, who are set to kickstart their three-match Down Under ODI series against Australia starting Sunday, October 19, landed in Perth (venue for the first ODI) early morning on Thursday and wasted no time hitting the training ground later in the day. Batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who will be playing their first international match since winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this year, led the practice session along with some other big names in the team such as KL Rahul and Arshdeep Singh, and were seen sweating it out in the nets under the supervision of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

 

The practice session is expected to be an optional one and many members of the squad, including the newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill, were missing. However, despite the low attendance, the session was elaborate as all three aspects (batting, bowling and fielding) were included. Now, keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the key takeaways from India’s first practice session of Australia’s white-ball tour. 

Men in Blue looking for second series win

Despite landing earlier in the day after a long and taxing flight journey, the Men in Blue, under the supervision of coach Gautam Gambhir, are eager to win only their second bilateral Down Under ODI series against Australia as they decided to take a crack at the Perth wicket and playing conditions just hours after landing. India’s only bilateral ODI win against Australia away from home came back in 2019 under the leadership of Virat Kohli, who led his team to a 2-1 series win in a three-match series.

Rohit-Kohli in sync

While the player attendance for the practice session confirms that it was an optional one, the two most senior members of the squad, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, decided to step on the field to get some much-needed on-field time ahead of the series as they have not played any competitive cricket since IPL 2025.

 

Rohit and Virat were seen sweating it out in the nets side by side, playing the bowling of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. The interesting part about their batting practice in the nets was that they were not just playing their own game; they were also observing each other’s batting, proving that despite being away from the cricket field for quite some time, they are still in sync with each other and are ready to bear the responsibility of leading the team’s batting in the upcoming series.

Kohli addressing his outside-off issue

The last time Virat Kohli was in Australia, the hosts used his weakness of playing the outside-off balls against him and kept the Indian batting stalwart silent for the entire series (2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy). Kohli, knowing very well that the Aussies will use the same formula against him, was seen practising the outside-off balls to counter the game plan.

Fielding drills for all players

While players often just bat and bowl during the optional practice session, the Indian support staff emphasised fielding drills during the session as they know they cannot afford to miss chances against the Aussies if they want to win the series. Notably, India’s fielding was sub-par during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, and coach Gambhir does not want to repeat the mistake again. The drill included stretching, running and catching practice.

KL Rahul looking aggressive

Apart from Kohli and Rohit, KL Rahul was the only other Indian batter present in the team’s first practice session in Perth. Rahul was seen playing aggressive shots to counter Australia’s attacking cricket approach in recent times.

Pacers sweat it out

Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh were the only two bowlers present in the practice session, but they decided to go all in, bowling extended spells in the nets to Kohli, Rohit and Rahul. The team management knows they need their pacers at their best if they want to win the ODI series in Australia and are giving them ample time to adjust to the playing conditions.