Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, made a suggestion that this series might be their final Australian tour. He thought about how much cricket he had played in the nation and how much he had loved every second of it.
In their last match in Australia, India defeated Australia by nine wickets in the third One-Day International (ODI) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on October 25, 2025, thanks to an unbroken combination between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The Men in Blue were saved from a series whitewash by the 168-run stand. India’s bowlers worked together to bundle out Australia for 236 after they chose to bat. The spin combination of Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav kept the middle order on the defensive, while Harshit Rana stole the show with career-best figures of 4/39.
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh got off to a bad start, but Australia collapsed after the 33rd over, losing seven wickets for just 53 runs. With openers Rohit and Shubman Gill hitting 68 in the first ten overs without a loss, India’s chase got off to a strong start. With the seniors at their peak, Gill’s removal brought Kohli to the crease. Building on his Adelaide 73-run innings, Rohit sped to his 33rd ODI century, finishing undefeated at 121 off 125 balls with three sixes and 13 fours.
With 74 not out from 81 balls, Kohli recorded his 75th ODI fifty and overtook Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket with 14,235 runs, following two ducks in the series. Following the match, the two talked about their experiences playing in Australia. Kohli thanked the Australian supporters for their years of support.
It’s good to have a big match-winning partnership (with Rohit), but chasing usually brings out the best in me.
“The game teaches you things (on his ducks in the first two games), even if you’ve played international cricket for a long time. I’ll be almost 37 years old in a few days. We’ve always performed well as a pair, and I believe that we’ve grasped the situation well from the beginning. We’re perhaps the most seasoned couple right now, but when we were younger, we knew that we could beat them with strong relationships. It all began, I believe, in 2013 (the home series against Australia).
If we have a strong combination and play for about 20 overs, we know we’ll contribute significantly to the team’s victory, and even the opposition will recognize it. While speaking with Adam Gilchrist and Ravi Shastri, Kohli remarked, “We’ve loved coming to this country, we’ve played some good cricket, thank you guys for coming in big numbers and supporting us.”
“I’ve always loved visiting this place and playing cricket here in Sydney. brought back pleasant memories of his first tour of Australia in 2008; it was enjoyable. I’m not sure if we’ll return as cricket players, but I’ve relished every moment. Despite all the praise we’ve received over the years, we still like playing cricket. I’ve always enjoyed playing here, and I believe Virat will feel the same way. Forget about the past fifteen years. In the same exchange, Rohit said, “Thank you, Australia.”
India
