Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli endured a difficult return to international cricket against Australia on Sunday, 19 October. The Indian top order crumbled against the pace and bounce of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were the first to depart, falling for 8 and 0 runs respectively.

The duo's dismissals triggered memories of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25, where both of them had a dismal series — so much so that the tour Down Under turned out to be the eventual end of their Test careers. Rohit, fit and fab, having allegedly done 800 reps a day to cut down on weight, looked completely out of touch with the pace and bounce of the Australian wickets.

People who were present in the nets before the match can attest to the fact that

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