“There were no positive takeaways” - Indian legend’s brutal take on 7-wicket loss in AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI

Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Team India had a forgettable day without any positive takeaways in the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The Shubman Gill-led side slumped to a seven-wicket defeat in a rain-curtailed encounter to suffer a 0-1 deficit in the three-match series.

The Men in Blue were put into bat first and suffered a top-order collapse on a lively surface against the Australian pacers. The middle-order struggled to rescue the innings amid the recurring rain breaks, which reduced the contest to just 26 overs. KL Rahul and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with cameos to push India towards a competitive total.

In the second innings, Australia made easy work of the target courtesy of Mitchell Marsh's spirited knock. The hosts scaled the total with more than four overs to spare while the Indian bowlers had a relatively ordinary outing while defending the paltry score.

Ashwin opined that Nitish Kumar Reddy's finishing act was the sole bleak positive for the Men in Blue in the series opener.

"There were no positive takeaways from this game, maybe Nitish Reddy's batting. I mean, it is what it is. We had a really bad day. I hope Nitish gets to bowl more," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was called up to the squad after Hardik Pandya's injury in the 2025 Asia Cup. The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 19 off 11 deliveries on his ODI debut, while bowling 2.1 overs as well later on.

Ashwin backed the same playing XI to feature in the second ODI as well, with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna being contenders if the team wishes to shake up their bowling unit after the recent defeat.

"I think India have to continue with this seam bowling attack. It will be tough to judge the bowlers as they had only 131 to defend. If the conditions are a bit drier, then you can consider bringing in Kuldeep Yadav. I think in this series, it is definitely worth giving Prasidh Krishna a look. If Harshit does not work very well, then you can go to Prasidh," the former player added.

Team India's combination for the first ODI featured six primary bowling options, which included three frontline seamers, and three all-rounders, of which two were spinners. Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel were the pick of the bowlers, while the rest struggled to have a major say in the proceedings.

"I would say that India were a little unlucky today" - R Ashwin on toss and rain breaks being a factor in AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI

The Shubman Gill-led side were tasked to play when the conditions were at their harshest for batting since the first half of the contest was riddled with overcast conditions and intermittent showers.

The visitors had to settle down each time after making their way onto the field, and the constant reduction of overs with each break was not making their task any easier.

Ashwin said that the fact that India were playing in such conditions after primarily playing in the subcontinent in recent times had a massive impact on their performance.

"I would say that India were a little unlucky today. Firstly, India lost the toss, and it was a difficult day to play cricket. Team India came into this match after playing in Delhi, and Shreyas Iyer must have practiced in Mumbai, Even though there is a red-soil pitch with bounce there, it is different while playing in Perth. Mitchell Marsh hit a brilliant pull shot in his innings, and when Iyer faced a similar delivery, he was caught down the leg side. So, it is not a technical issue. Please don't dive into the fact that it is technical, it is purely condition-based," Ashwin explained.

The second ODI between the two heavyweights is scheduled to take place at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23.

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Edited by Gokul Nair