India captain Rohit Sharma returns to the national squad for the second ODI against Australia on Sunday in Visakhapatnam. He missed the opening ODI of the three-match series owing to family obligations, so Hardik Pandya led the squad in his absence against the Aussies on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The crowd hailed Rohit when he arrived in Vizag with his India teammates ahead of the second ODI. The India star also made a humorous proposal to one of his followers.
The fan was recording a selfie at the airport with Rohit and company walking in the background. This when Rohit softly gave him a rose he was carrying and said, “Ye lo, aapke lie (Take this, this is for you).” By the time, the fan could thank him, Rohit asked, “Will you marry me?”
Rohit Sharma is an amazing character – what a guy! pic.twitter.com/YZzPmAKGpk
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 19, 2023
Australian sprinter Mitchell Starc’s devastating bowling (5/53) and openers Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head’s (51 not out) smashing undefeated 121-run opening combination helped the Australians demolish India by 10 wickets in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, tying the three-match ODI series 1-1.
The Aussies won the match with 234 balls to spare after setting a modest goal of 118 runs. It was India’s worst-ever defeat in the 50-over format in terms of number of deliveries.
Indian bowlers had an uphill challenge after registering their fourth-lowest score at home and overall third-lowest total against Australia in ODIs. They couldn’t do much on a pitch that aided seam and swing bowling, where Starc and company had previously appeared nearly unplayable.