Indian batting stalwart Rohit Sharma reached a historic milestone on October 19, 2025, playing his 500th international match during the first ODI against Australia at Optus Stadium, despite falling for just 8 runs in a rain-affected game. Returning to international cricket after a seven-month hiatus since leading India to the 2025 Champions Trophy title, Sharma was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, caught at second slip by debutant Matt Renshaw in the fifth over. The low score did little to overshadow his achievement as the fifth Indian to reach 500 international appearances, joining legends Sachin Tendulkar (664 matches), Virat Kohli (544), MS Dhoni (538), and Rahul Dravid (509). India, batting first after Australia’s Mitchell Marsh won the toss, struggled at 37/3 after 11.5 overs when rain halted play, reducing the match to 49 overs per side.

Sharma’s career tally stands at 19,708 runs across formats at an average of 42.18, including 49 centuries and 108 fifties, with a career-best 264 in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2014—the highest individual score in the format’s history. In ODIs alone, his 11,168 runs from 273 matches, at an average of 48.76 and a strike rate of 92.80, place him 54 runs shy of surpassing Sourav Ganguly (11,221) as India’s third-highest ODI run-scorer, behind Tendulkar (18,426) and Kohli (13,906). Needing just three more centuries, Sharma could become the 14th player globally and fourth Indian to reach 20,000 international runs, following Tendulkar (34,357), Kohli (27,431), and Dravid (24,208). His next century would also mark his 50th in international cricket, a feat achieved by only Tendulkar (100) and Kohli (82) among Indians.

The match, a critical World Cup 2027 preparation, saw both Sharma and Kohli, also returning post-Champions Trophy, falter early. Kohli’s eight-ball duck off Hazlewood—his first in Australian ODIs—intensified scrutiny on the veterans’ form, with captain Shubman Gill (10) also falling to Nathan Ellis, leaving India reeling. Social media buzzed with memes lamenting the “Sunday barbaad” collapse, though fans on X rallied behind Sharma’s milestone, with one post noting, “500 matches and still a class apart, Rohit will bounce back!” The early dismissals revive debates about transitioning to younger players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, especially after India’s top-order woes echoed their 2019 World Cup semifinal loss. Australia, without Pat Cummins, capitalised on seaming conditions, with Hazlewood (2/16) and Ellis (1/1) exploiting the pitch.

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As rain delays persisted, Shreyas Iyer (6*) and Axar Patel (7*) held fort, aiming to rebuild toward a competitive 250-270 if play resumed. Sharma’s milestone, celebrated by the BCCI on social media, underscores his enduring legacy as a two-time T20 World Cup winner and Champions Trophy captain. Yet, with the series pivotal for India’s World Cup planning, his and Kohli’s form remains under the microscope. The next ODIs offer a chance to silence critics, but for now, Sharma’s 500-match landmark stands as a testament to his resilience, even on a day when his bat stayed quiet in Perth’s challenging conditions.

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