Perth, Oct 19 (IANS) The Shubman Gill-led Indian team was left with plenty to reflect on following a lacklustre seven-wicket defeat to Australia in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Perth on Sunday. Despite the setback, skipper Gill struck a composed and optimistic tone, commending his team’s resilience after a shaky start with the bat.

However, the mood in the Indian camp suggested urgency and introspection. Moments after the loss, head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen in a serious discussion on the field with captain Gill, bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. The animated exchange indicated that the think tank is already focused on identifying key areas for improvement ahead of the second game.

India’s early collapse and inability to build momentum under challenging conditions raised questions about both strategy and execution, issues that the team management appears keen to address without delay.

In the post-match presentation, Gill admitted that losing three wickets in the powerplay – Rohit Sharma (8), Virat Kohli (0) and Gill (10) – put the side on the backfoot with rain interruptions further disrupting the momentum during their batting innings.

“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game. A lot of learnings for us from this game, and a lot of positives for us as well,” Gill said.

“We were defending 130 and we took the game, not till the very end, but pretty deep. We were very satisfied with that,” he added.

The revised playing conditions truncated the match to 26 overs per side, and India just managed to post 136/9 in 26 overs, with KL Rahul (38) and Axar Patel (31) playing the vital knocks.

Australia were given 131 (DLS method) target to chase in 26 overs. Australia captain Mitchell Marsh remained unbeaten on 46 while wicketkeeper-batter Josh Philippe (37) and Matthew Renshaw (21 not out) took the side over the line in 21.1 overs, with seven wickets in hand.

The second ODI of the three-match series will be played in Adelaide on October 23, where India will look to bounce back while the hosts aim to seal the series.

–IANS

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