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Virat Kohli lasts just eight balls on return to international cricket; out for first-ever duck in ODIs in Australia
Virat Kohli lasted just eight balls on his ODI return and he eventually got out for a duck off the bowling of Mitchell Starc.
It wasn't a happy return to international cricket for India stalwart Virat Kohli as the right-handed batter failed to get among the runs in the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday. The 36-year-old lasted just eight balls at the crease after Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first. Kohli, who was playing his first competitive match after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final against Punjab Kings, lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc on the first delivery of the seventh over.
Kohli came out to the middle after former India captain Rohit Sharma lost his wicket to Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over. The right-hander looked quite fidgety upon his return, and it was normal as he was playing a competitive game after a long time.
Also Read: India vs Australia 1st ODI Live Score: Check out live coverage here
However, the time ran out for Kohli in the seventh over as Starc got the better of him. This was the first time in his career that the experienced campaigner failed to get on the board in ODIs in Australia. In 30 ODI innings he has played in Australia, this was the first time that Kohli got out for a duck.
With this wicket, Starc became just the second bowler to dismiss Kohli for a duck on two instances after James Anderson across all international games.
Speaking of the dismissal, Starc dished out a pitched-up delivery and as usual, Kohli chased it for a big drive away from his body. He only got a thick outside edge, and Cooper Connolly dived to his left at backward point to take an acrobatic catch.
India's top-order fails
After being asked to bat first, India's top order collapsed like a deck of cards as Rohit, Virat and Shubman Gill all lost their wickets cheaply. Josh Hazlewood produced a stellar delivery, and Rohit only managed to edge it to slip.
The Indian captain Gill was then strangled down the legside as he gave his wicket away to Nathan Ellis on a nothing delivery. Rohit scored eight runs while Gill managed just 10 runs off 18 balls.
The aggregate of 18 runs India’s top three of Rohit, Gill and Kohli is their lowest total in an ODI since the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand in Manchester, where the top three batters accumulated just three runs.
This was the first time that Rohit and Kohli played an international match after the 2025 Champions Trophy win. There has been a lot of chatter about the duo's future, and hence, the series against Australia holds great value.
For the first ODI against Australia, India handed a debut to Nitish Kumar Reddy. On the other hand, for the hosts, Matthew Renshaw and Mitchell Owen played their first-ever ODI.
