New Delhi, Oct 22: As Virat Kohli returned to his favourite hunting ground in Adelaide for the second ODI against Australia, the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) greeted the batting stalwart with a heartfelt message on social media.

Kohli, who had retired from T20Is and Test cricket, returned to international cricket in the first ODI against Australia, seven months after the Champions Trophy victory.

For Kohli, Adelaide has been a successful hunting ground over the years. His first Test hundred came at the same venue during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of 2011-12. He holds an impressive record at the ground, having scored 975 runs in just 12 international matches, the most by an Indian at this venue.

As Kohli stepped onto the field for the practice session, SACA shared a video of him entering the ground with Kohli’s previous post-match speech as a background score.

After this series, India won’t return to Australia for one-day internationals before the 2027 World Cup, meaning this series is expected to be the last time Kohli plays down under.

“One of cricket’s true icons, Virat Kohli returns to his beloved ground — training here for what may be his final appearance in international colours at Adelaide Oval,” SACA shared on X.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to welcome one of the greatest to ever grace the game over many years. Thank you, Virat, for the memories, the magic, and the moments that will live on in the hearts of South Australians and cricket fans around the world.

“You’ll always be welcome at Adelaide Oval. Don’t be a stranger, mate,” the post read.

Although the charismatic batter failed to make an impact with the bat, registering his first-ever duck on Australian soil, he will be aiming to uphold his impressive record at Adelaide in the second ODI, scheduled for Thursday.

When Kohli comes out to bat on Thursday, he will have the opportunity to surpass former skipper MS Dhoni’s record for the most runs scored by an Indian batter in the 50-over format at Adelaide Oval on October 23.

Dhoni has scored 262 runs in six games he played at Adelaide Oval, and Kohli has 244 runs in four games. He needs 19 runs to become the leading scorer at the venue in 50-over matches.

Adelaide, Oct 22: India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s underwhelming show with that bat in the ODI series opener against Australia, saying they had proper preparations for the series, but it was the weather that played the spoilsport.

Rohit and Kohli, who returned to playing international cricket on Sunday for the first time since the conclusion of the Champions Trophy 2025, registered the score of 8 off 14, and Kohli marked his first ever duck on Australian soil as India lost to by seven wickets (DLS) in what was a rain-marred affair, with the match being cut short to 26 overs a side.

Ahead of the second game of the three-match series, Kotak addressed questions about the two senior players’ preparations and said the weather conditions at the venue, which caused the players to be sent off the ground multiple times, were a key factor behind the batters struggling to find momentum.

“Both of them are very experienced. I think it was the weather. It would have been the same if Australia had come out to bat first. It is not easy when there are four or five interruptions and every two overs you are going in and coming back out,’ he told reporters on Wednesday.

“Before coming to Australia, they had proper preparation. I think it is too early to judge them. They just retired from Test cricket and still playing IPL. We are very much aware of what preparations they are doing, what their fitness status is. They also go to the National Cricket Academy. What they are doing there, their video, obviously, I would have (watched them).

“You have to find the right time to intervene. I am a big believer in that. With such senior players, you don’t want to intervene if it’s not required. If they are doing things right and you’re still trying to get involved, it may not be the right approach.

“I think both of them have a lot of experience. Obviously, they are playing IPL and they are constantly playing. Before coming to Australia, they had time in their preparations, and they have done it,” Kotak added.

Both Kohli and Rohit rejoined the ODI team after retiring from Test cricket earlier this year. However, their comeback didn’t go as planned. Rohit was dismissed for 8 by a sharp delivery from Josh Hazlewood, while Mitchell Starc dismissed Kohli for an eight-ball duck.

After the two top-order batters were sent back to the dugout soon inside the powerplay, questions were raised about their preparations. The duo’s return to competitive cricket after a long gap was hindered by a lack of game time, a factor experts and pundits cited as a reason for their poor outings.

New Delhi, Oct 21: India legend Ravi Shastri and Australian great Ricky Ponting have shared their thoughts on whether they think the Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain on track to feature at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027 and said “only time will tell” whether the duo will still be around.

Rohit and Kohli, who have retired from Tests and T20Is within the last 18 months, and the 50-over cricket remains the only format they feature. The veteran duo played their first international fixture since the ICC Champions Trophy at the start of March when they contributed modest returns with the bat against Australia in Perth on Sunday.

When you come back from a long layoff, you are obviously going to be rusty,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.

“It’s not easy for any overseas team to land in Australia, say, two days prior to a game in Perth and adjust to those conditions straight away, especially when you have that extra bounce and against quality fast bowlers.

“But I think only time will tell. They’ll go to Adelaide, they have some time off to get into the nets, get their minds sorted and get back into action,”

“So I’m in no hurry to judge, but it’s when you come back at that age, after some time, it’s about how much you’re enjoying the sport and how much hunger is there and passion is left in you to play the game.

“So if you tick the boxes in two out of those three, especially the enjoyment part of it, then you can give them both time because they’ve got class, they’ve got experience and a little bit of time will sort things out. But I’d rather wait than jump and judge immediately,” he said.

Ponting echoed the sentiments of Shastri and believes Kohli in particular will be targeting some short-term goals during the Australian tour that will help him decide whether to keep playing on.

“The one thing I don’t like hearing from anyone is that ‘I’ve achieved everything in the game’ because I think you still have to have some really short-term goals and not just be hanging on to try and get through to the 2027 World Cup,” Ponting said.

“Virat’s 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 be just waiting and killing time for that next World Cup to come around.

“What we know with both of those guys, at their absolute best, yes, of course they’re in India’s best team. But can they find their best between now and when that World Cup rocks around?

“And that’s only an answer that, like Ravi said, that we’ll find out in a short period of time. They will get some really good batting wickets coming up over the next few weeks here in Australia. There’s not many places that are better to go and bat in a one-day game than Adelaide Oval, which is coming up in a couple of days,” he said.

Ponting thinks it will only be a matter of time before Rohit and Kohli are among the runs again and that could come as soon as the next ODI against Australia in Adelaide.

“Finding your rhythm and tempo is the biggest thing. When you’ve had a break, just getting back used to the rhythm and the tempo of the 50-over game again, it takes a little bit of time for anybody,” Ponting said.

“I’d expect to see both those guys bounce back into it pretty quickly. As I said, Adelaide is a great place to bat and a great place to play cricket. But it won’t be easy for the fact that they are facing some of the best white-ball bowlers that have ever played the game. So, the challenge is definitely there.

“But I say it all the time, you don’t write off champion players ever. And these two guys have been two of the best, and while I’m on record saying I think Virat’s the best 50-over player I’ve ever seen, you don’t write them off.

“They’ll find a way to contribute and win games for their team, and if they do that, then they’ll most likely be in that World Cup team in 2027,” he added.