Top 3 best performers from first ODI between India and Australia in Perth 2025

Overview

• KL Rahul scored 38(31) batting in tough conditions when scoring runs was difficult and the batters from the other end were struggling
• Axar Patel assisted him well at the other end with his 31(38) and claimed the wicket of Matthew Short
• Josh Hazlewood seemed nearly unplayable with his seam bowling, as he claimed the big wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer

The first ODI of the 2025 series between India and Australia turned out to be a did affair, as the match was constantly interrupted by the rain. In Perth, the conditions changed drastically when it started, compared to when the rain eventually stopped, allowing the match to be played with revised conditions. In the changed conditions, fans got to see some action as some players performed well.

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Australia won the match by 7 wickets to register their first victory in ODIs at the Optus Stadium. Their bowlers set the victory up by restricting India to 130 runs in the revised playing conditions, where the number of overs were reduced to 26 per side. While not many players got a chance to prove themselves as well as they would have liked, some players did and delivered good performances.

Top 3 best performers from first ODI between India and Australia in Perth 2025

KL Rahul

KL Rahul came out to bat when India was reduced to 45/4 and was in a desperate need of a partnership. That's exactly what he did with Axar Patel, with whom he stitched a handy partnership. When the duo was in the middle, the conditions weren't easy to bat on, as the rain had played its part in making batting challenging.

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Rahul took a bit of his time to get set and rain interfered constantly. Despite the stoppage, Rahul held him calm and played a fine cameo. In his stay in the middle, the right-handed batter scored 38(31), which included two fours and sixes each. His knock was the main reason why India could get past the total of 100.

Axar Patel

Axar Patel assisted KL Rahul well from his end. The Southpaw anchored the innings initially and played some shots after the play resumed following a rain break. The Indian All-rounder delivered a good performance as a batter and bowled well too. With the bat, he framed a good partnership with Rahul before getting dismissed.

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The star player scored 31 runs in 38 balls, which was essential given the way wickets were falling from the other end. He bowled well despite the conditions got better to bat on and the target was low. In his 4 overs, Axar conceded only 19 runs and dismissed Matthew Short. However, it wasn't enough to help India win.

Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood was the best performer for Australia in the match. The right-arm pacer was tailor made for the conditions with his seam bowling. He troubled every batter he bowled to and threatened to dismiss them virtually in every ball he delivered. Hazlewood got a bit of extra bounce from the surface and used it well to his advantage.

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Very early in the match, Hazlewood dismissed Rohit Sharma with a delivery that bounced a bit higher than anticipated. He then dismissed Shreyas Iyer for the seventh time in ODIs. Hazlewood bowled 7 overs and conceded just 20 runs and even had two maiden overs, whose spell set Australia's win.