Varun Aaron urges calm after India's loss in Perth, backs Virat Kohli to bounce back in Adelaide

New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): Former India fast bowler Varun Aaron has urged the Indian team not to hit the panic button after their seven-wicket defeat against Australia in the opening ODI of the three-match series at Perth on Sunday.

Looking ahead to the second ODI in Adelaide on October 23, Aaron said the venue has brought the best out of Virat Kohli, who registered an eight-ball duck in the series opener.

"Virat Kohli has very fond memories of Adelaide. If there's any ground he'd want to go to after scoring his first duck against Australia, it would be Adelaide, where he began his incredible run during the 2014 Test series," JioStar expert Aaron said.

The former pacer believes conditions in Adelaide will be far more favourable for the visitors compared to Perth's bouncy surface.

"I believe the Adelaide surface will suit the Indians much more than what we saw today. It won't have as much bounce, will be more even-paced, and there should be less lateral movement," he explained.

Aaron also advised the team to stay composed and not overreact to an early overseas setback.

"The key for India is not to press the panic button too early. It's only their first match outside the subcontinent in a long time, so some adjustment is natural. If they lose the second game, there might be concern, but for now, it's just one of those days. Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose, and today, Australia were simply the better team," Aaron added.

India will aim to level the series in Adelaide, a venue where Kohli has produced some of his finest knocks in the past, including his memorable hundreds during the 2014 Test series. Kohli has played five Tests in that venue, scoring 527 runs, with an average of 52.70, including three hundreds and one fifty.

In four ODIs, Kohli has an outstanding average of 61.00, scoring 244 runs, and has two centuries. In three T20Is he made 204 runs, with a staggering average of 204.00, including three fifties, so it is evident that the Adelaide Oval has brought the best out of Virat Kohli

Coming to the match, India was put to bowl first by Australia after winning the toss. The top-order of Rohit Sharma (8), skipper Shubman Gill (10), Virat Kohli (0) and Shreyas Iyer (11) struggled against Mitchell Starc (1/22) and Josh Hazlewood (2/20).

Team India's rhythm was disrupted by numerous rain breaks, and the match was eventually converted to a 26-overs-per-side match. However, a 39-run stand between KL Rahul (38 in 31 balls, with two fours and a six) and Axar Patel (31 in 38 balls, with three fours) proved to be a breather. KL took India past the 100-run mark, pairing up with Washington Sundar. It was Nitish Kumar Reddy (19* in 11 balls, with two fours) who took India to 136/9 in 26 overs.

Mitchell Owen and Matthew Kuhnemann also took two wickets.

In Australia's run chase of 131 runs, their revised target as per the DLS Method, India got Travis Head (8) early. However, Marsh (46 in 52 balls, with two fours and three sixes), Josh Phillipe (37 in 29 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Matt Renshaw (21* in 24 balls, with a four and a six) made sure that Australia did not face much issues in their chase, chasing the total down in 21.1 overs with seven wickets in hand. (ANI)

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