An eight-month wait for eight runs.

It was hardly the Perth farewell Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and the legion of loyal Western Australia-based Indian fans deserved.

But in the large scale of Indian and global cricket, the return of the demigods was a valuable win for One-Day Internationals.

Sharma and Kohli haven’t pulled on their international kit since their Champions Trophy final triumph in early March after announcing their illustrious Test and T20 careers had come to an end.

And the energy and hype they brought for a, all due respect, meaningless ODI series placed ahead of a highly-anticipated Ashes and two years out from the next World Cup shows their value even if they don’t perform.

Kohli and Sharma have made their ambitions of earning redemption for a home final defeat to Aus

See Full Page