In the second ODI match against Australia, Team India`s Virat Kohli yet again had a disappointing outing.
Facing just four balls, the right-hander departed on a duck at the Adelaide Oval. He appeared poised after his first three deliveries, but was outfoxed by Xavier Bartlett`s nipping in delivery and got trapped in front of the stumps. Despite returning to the pavilion on a duck, the Adelaide crowd gave a standing ovation to Kohli, to which he made a goodbye gesture.
Following his dismissal, former Team India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said that he is worried about Kohli missing a in-line delivery.
“One thing I would be worried about is Virat actually missed the line of the ball. Virat planted his foot in line with the ball. That is telling me a story that he needs time in the middle. In Sydney, there is no reason why Virat should not make runs,” the former cricketer said on his YouTube channel.
Further, Ashwin is hopeful that the 36-year-old finds a way to get out of his rough patch.
“I think he would be thinking very deeply about how he got out in the last two games. It is not going to be easy, but I hope Virat gets out of it,” added the Tamil Nadu-born former cricketer.
The duck at the Adelaide Oval also marked Kohli`s second duck in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Australia. However, the Indian team managed to post a score of 264 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
While Virat floundered, Rohit flourished while riding high on his luck. After escaping a couple of close calls, Rohit flaunted his six-hitting muscle by hammering Mitchell Owen for back-to-back towering maximums and returned with 73 off 97 deliveries.
His 118-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (61) and a late surge from Harshit Rana (24*) propelled India to 264/9. However, the total proved insufficient as Australia gunned down the 265-run target with 22 balls to spare and notched a two-wicket win.
The third ODI match between Team India and Australia is scheduled to be played on October 30 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). After the conclusion of the 50-over format series, the “Men in Blue” will lock horns against the Aussies for the five T20Is.
(With ANI Inputs)