Reminiscing about cricket friendships, Australian legend Adam Gilchrist shared a beautiful selfie with his former IPL teammate Rohit Sharma ahead of the India-Australia 2nd ODI at the iconic Adelaide Oval, bringing back memories of their relationship with Deccan Chargers in 2008. The moment, captured at the hallowed ground where the two met for the first time after the first IPL auction, went viral, offering a mix of emotion and the intensity of the crucial series.

Gilchrist, the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman who captained the Chargers to their only IPL title in 2009, posted this picture on Instagram with a touching caption: “This guy reminded me today that he was standing on this very ground… when we first met in 2008. Just when we both were bought by Deccan Chargers. From there a friendship was born. An old player leaving international cricket, with a young player. The partnership is shaping up to be one of India’s great players. @rohitsharma45, it’s been great playing against and with you… and even better knowing you as a teammate. #kepke.” Fans chanted “Go Chargers Go!” There was a flood of comments with slogans and praised the unbreakable relationship of Hitman-Gilli.

Before the match, Gilchrist spoke to Ravi Shastri for Fox Sports and praised Rohit’s enthusiasm, saying: “He looks very comfortable and his voice is very relaxed… Reminds me of the first time we met on this ground in 2008. The old and the new, eager to get on the field here.” After a poor performance in Perth, the 37-year-old opening batsman used his energy to smash 73 runs (7 fours, 2 sixes) off 97 balls—his 31st ODI half-century—to take India to 264/9 after Mitchell Marsh’s toss-to-ball decision.

Shreyas Iyer’s 61 runs (77 balls, 7 fours) made an important partnership of 118 runs, while Akshar Patel’s 44 and Harshit Rana’s 24* runs on 18 balls played explosive innings. Nevertheless, Adam Zampa’s 4/60 and Xavier Bartlett’s 3/39 brought the innings to a close as India faltered at 17/2 with Virat Kohli scoring consecutive ducks (LBW off Bartlett) and Shubman Gill’s early dismissal.

Australia had a thrilling chase, scoring 265/8 in 46.2 overs thanks to Matthew Short’s 74 (78 balls) and debutant Cooper Connolly’s unbeaten 61 (53 balls) – his first ODI half-century – to win by 2 wickets in a thrilling encounter and take the series 2-0. Mitchell Owen’s 36* (23 balls, 3×6) and Arshdeep Singh’s brilliant 2/41 won the match.

Rohit’s innings, after surpassing Sourav Ganguly to become India’s third-highest ODI scorer (11,249 runs), put an end to speculations of his retirement, but the defeat is extremely painful for new ODI captain Gill. As Sydney approaches, this Gill-Rohit memory highlights cricket’s enduring stories—beyond boundaries, one selfie at a time.