Ricky Ponting wants Virat Kohli to make 'really short-term goals' in Australia; 'Don't just wait and kill time'

Amid much speculation over Virat Kohli’s future in the next two years, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has urged the Indian talisman to make “really short-term” goals in the ongoing Australian tour. Having already retired from T20s and Tests, Kohli played his first match in India colors in over seven months in the first ODI against Australia. However, his return to India ended in disappointment when Cooper Connolly took a brilliant diving catch to send the former captain back for an eight-ball duck. Interestingly, it was the same approach to chasing a delivery wide of the stumps that brought Kohli’s downfall. Delving deep into Kohli’s ODI future, Ponting opined that the right-hander needs to make small targets during the Australian tour, which will help him decide on his future. The last time Kohli played an ODI for India was during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March in Dubai. “The one thing I don’t like to hear from anybody is that ‘I’ve achieved everything in the game’ because I think you still have to have some very short-term goals and not just stick to trying to get to the World Cup in 2027,” Ponting said in ICC Review. “Virat has always been a highly motivated person. And I’d like to think that he’s probably sat down and even just given himself some goals and things that he can achieve in this series here in Australia and not just wait and kill time for that next World Cup to come,” he added. Adelaide is a great place to bat: Ricky Ponting After the first match in Perth, the Indian team traveled to Adelaide on Thursday (October 23) for the second ODI. In fact, the Adelaide Oval has been a happy hunting ground for Kohli where the Indian has scored as many as three centuries, including one in ODIs during the 2015 World Cup. Ponting felt it was only a matter of time before Kohli came back between runs. “Finding your rhythm and tempo is the biggest thing. When you’ve had a break, just getting used to the rhythm and tempo of the 50-over game again, it takes a bit of time for anybody,” Ponting added. “Like I said, Adelaide is a great place to bat and a great place to play cricket. But I say it all the time, you never write off champion players. And these two guys were two of the best, and while I’m on the record saying I think Virat is the best 50-over player I’ve ever seen, you don’t write off two of Australia’s World Cup tournament not written off.