It's the weather, not easy to bat with multiple interruptions: Sitanshu Kotak backs Rohit, Kohli after flop show in Perth

MUMBAI: India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's underwhelming show with that bat in the ODI series opener against Australia, saying they had proper preparations for the series, but it was the weather that played the spoilsport.

Rohit and Kohli, who returned to playing international cricket on Sunday for the first time since the conclusion of the Champions Trophy 2025, registered the score of 8 off 14, and Kohli marked his first ever duck on Australian soil as India lost to by seven wickets (DLS) in what was a rain-marred affair, with the match being cut short to 26 overs a side.

Ahead of the second game of the three-match series, Kotak addressed questions about the two senior players’ preparations and said the weather conditions at the venue, which caused the players to be sent off the ground multiple times, were a key factor behind the batters struggling to find momentum.