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Virat Kohli’s comeback series has been rough. Two straight ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia were not exactly what his fans hoped for. However, his sharp instincts in the field turned heads during the second match in Adelaide.
As India defended 265, cameras caught an interesting exchange between Kohli and Australian batter Travis Head. The explosive opener was on 28 at the time.
Indian cricket fans have a bitter memory of Head. In the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Travis Head’s stormy 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 match away from India faster than usual. He walked up to the Australian opener, placed an arm around his shoulder and said something.
Moments later, Head miscued a shot off Harshit Rana and was caught by Kohli himself. Though the exact words remain unknown, the brief moment showed Kohli’s psychological sharpness on the field.
A viral video has captured the incident. On Twitter (now X), it has gained nearly 4 lakh views so far.
Despite that highlight, India eventually lost the match by 2 wickets. Australia sealed the series 2-0.
Virat Kohli’s ducks in ODI
Meanwhile, for the first time in his illustrious career, Virat Kohli scored 2 back-to-back ducks in One-Day cricket. In 304 matches, he has scored 18 ducks so far. He equalled Yuvraj Singh, who played 301 ODI matches to score 18 zeroes.
While Kohli and Yuvraj are joint-4th 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 tailenders, the top position goes to an all-time great. Sachin Tendulkar scored 20 ducks in his career, spanning 463 ODI matches.
Australia vs India 3rd ODI
While Team India have already lost the 3-match series 2-0 to Australia, the Men in Blue will look to restore 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 make any changes to the squad.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill’s first series as India’s ODI captain has been lacklustre. Not only did he lose the series, but he also failed to score much.
In Perth, he scored 10 off 18 balls. In the 2nd ODI at the Adelaide Oval, he scored 9 off 9 balls.
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