Indian skipper Rohit Sharma returned to the national team with the second ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. He missed the first ODI of the three-match series due to family commitments, leading the team in the absence of Hardik Pandya against the Aussies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. Rohit was greeted by fans at the airport when he arrived in Visakhapatnam with his Indian teammates ahead of the second ODI. One of the fans even received a funny proposal from the Indian star.
Rohit Sharma is an amazing character – what a guy! pic.twitter.com/YZzPmAKGpk
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 19, 2023
A fan was snapping a selfie at the airport with Rohit and the crew walking in the background. Rohit gently handed over the rose he was holding and said, “Yeh lo, aapke poi (Take this, this is for you).” By the time the fan thanked him, Rohit asked, “Will you marry me?”
Devastating bowling from Australian pacer Mitchell Starc (5/53) and openers Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head (51 not out) helped the visitors put together an unbeaten 121-run opening partnership to beat India by 10 wickets and level the match at 3. ODI series 1-1 in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 118 to win the match, the Australians finished with 234 balls to spare, India’s worst defeat in the 50-over format in terms of number of balls.
After posting their fourth-lowest score domestically and third-lowest overall in ODIs against Australia, the Indian bowlers were on an upward trajectory. However, they couldn’t do much with the seam and swing bowling that helped the pitch, where Starc and Co had previously been unplayable.
