"Muscle memory is there, but you are not 100% confident" - Aakash Chopra on the challenges for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs

Former India player Aakash Chopra has highlighted the likely challenges for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming ODI series against Australia. While acknowledging that the duo wouldn't have lost their muscle memory, he pointed out they might not be fully confident of their game at the start of the tour.

India will face Australia in three ODIs, with the first game to be played in Perth on Sunday, October 19. Kohli and Rohit have been picked in the 15-member Indian squad, although Shubman Gill has replaced the latter as the Men in Blue's ODI skipper.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener highlighted the enormity of the task for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the ODI series against Australia, pointing out that players who have been playing consistently will also be challenged by the conditions Down Under.

"Sometimes it feels the job is difficult even for those who play all formats. In Delhi, the ball was coming close to your ankle and you had to play with the straight bat. Here, the ball will come close to your ear and go whistling close to your head. Earlier, you were playing with a vertical bat, and now you have to play with a horizontal bat," Chopra said (1:10).

"So the challenge is even for the one who plays all formats. So, how big would be the challenge for whoever is not playing consistently? If you are coming after three-and-a-half months, I am sure you would have been practising, but it is never the same thing. You don't forget how to bat. You don't lose your muscle memory so quickly. Muscle memory is there, but you are not 100% confident," he added.

Aakash Chopra noted that players don't allow their instincts to take over completely when they aren't fully confident. He added that batters start thinking about themselves instead of what the bowler is planning to do, and that is where they get a little delayed.

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"There shouldn't be any hue and cry if runs aren't scored in the first match" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli enjoy playing in Australia. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra urged fans and experts not to criticize Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma if they aren't among the runs in the series opener.

"I feel Australia will try their level best. They are trying to get under our skin any which way. They will try to push you on the back foot slightly, with both talk and bowling. So I would say keep your expectations slightly watered down. There shouldn't be any hue and cry if runs aren't scored in the first match," he said (5:45).

While expecting the two modern batting greats to find their rhythm as the series progresses, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that the duo might not be at their best in the first ODI against Australia.

"It happens many times that runs aren't scored in the first match. Both will go and hit in Adelaide. That is fully expected. If not there, the form will definitely come in Sydney. We are assuming that. However, whether it would come immediately in Perth, I would say fingers crossed that it happens, but if it doesn't, it's absolutely par for the course. It's not a mixie, where you press a button, and it starts," Chopra observed.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have never played an ODI at the Optus Stadium in Perth. While Kohli has scored 242 runs at an average of 60.50 in five ODIs at the old WACA ground, Rohit has smashed 245 runs at an average of 122.50 in four ODIs at that venue.