Virat Kohli’s comeback series has been rough. Two straight ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia was not exactly what his fans had hoped for. However, his keen instincts in the field turned heads during the second game in Adelaide. As India defended 265, cameras caught an interesting exchange between Kohli and Australian batsman Travis Head. The explosive opener was on 28 then. Indian cricket fans have a bitter memory of Head. In the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Travis Head’s storming 137 off 120 shattered India’s dream of lifting the ODI World Cup for the third time. Kohli was aware that Travis Head’s presence was likely to take the game away from India quicker than usual. He walked up to the Australian opener, put an arm around his shoulder and said something. Moments later, Head bowled a shot from Harshit Rana and was caught by Kohli himself. Although the exact words remain unknown, the brief moment showed Kohli’s psychological acuity on the field. A viral video captured the incident. On Twitter (now X), it has received nearly 4 lakh views so far. Despite that highlight, India ended up losing the match by 2 wickets. Australia clinched the series 2-0. Virat Kohli’s ducks in ODI Virat Kohli has meanwhile scored 2 back-to-back ducks in ODI cricket for the first time in his illustrious career. In 304 matches, he has scored 18 ducks so far. He equaled Yuvraj Singh, who played 301 ODIs to score 18 not outs. While Kohli and Yuvraj are joint fourth on the list of most ducks for India in ODIs, the top name may surprise many. The 3rd position belongs to Anil Kumble, who also had 18 ducks, but in 269 matches. The 2nd position goes to Javagal Srinath, who had 19 ducks in 229 matches. While Kumble and Srinath were backstops, the top spot goes to an all-rounder. Sachin Tendulkar has scored 20 ducks in his career, spanning 463 ODIs. Australia vs India 3rd ODI While Team India has already lost the 3-match series against Australia 2-0, the Men in Blue will look to restore their pride in the 3rd match of the series. The Australia vs India 3rd ODI will be played on October 25 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. It will be interesting to see if India makes any changes to the squad. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill’s first series as India’s ODI captain was lackluster. Not only did he lose the series, but he also couldn’t score much. In Perth he scored 10 off 18 balls. In the 2nd ODI at the Adelaide Oval, he scored 9 off 9 balls. “Aus vs Ind” interest soared from October 22 to October 23 on Google India: “Aus vs Ind” interest soared from October 22 to October 23 on Google India
Viral video: Virat Kohli talks to Travis Head, who gets out soon after | Aus vs Ind 2nd ODI in Adelaide
