Virat Kohli in first ODI and at training (Source: AFP)
Virat Kohli made his long-awaited comeback to international cricket in the first ODI of the three-match series against Australia on Sunday. However, things did not go according to the expectations of his huge fan base, and the batter departed for a duck off two balls.
The failure has increased pressure on Virat Kohli, with talks of retirement going all around the social media. The chief selector has already stated that there is no guarantee of Rohit and Virat playing the 2027 World Cup, and in such a scenario, more failures can put both legends in trouble.
The caravan now moves to the Adelaide Oval for the second ODI, and ahead of the game, let's see how Virat Kohli has performed at the venue and whether it can help him get back to his best.
Virat Kohli's love affair with Adelaide Oval
Australia is a country where Virat Kohli has scored tons of runs across formats right from an early age. Out of all the venues, he has enjoyed batting at the Adelaide Oval the most and has slammed centuries for fun.
In ODI cricket, Virat Kohli has five centuries in Australia and out of those, two have come at the Adelaide Oval. He has played four ODIs in Adelaide, and two of those were in 2012. He could not score big runs and managed a total of 33 runs in two innings, but then made it count three years later.
In 2015, Virat Kohli smashed a special century against Pakistan in the World Cup at the Adelaide Oval. Four years later, in 2019, he notched up another ton at the venue in an ODI match against Australia. Since then, he has not played an ODI at the Adelaide Oval.
Virat Kohli in ODIs at the Adelaide Oval
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 4 |
| Runs | 244 |
| Average | 61 |
| Strike-rate | 83.85 |
| 100s/50s | 2/0 |
On October 24, Virat Kohli would be back in Adelaide and has a chance to make it a hat-trick of hundreds in the 50-over format at the venue. His average at the venue is currently 61 in ODIs, and with this probably being his last appearance at the Adelaide Oval, the legend would be itching to make it a special event. Even in Test cricket, Kohli has an average of 52.70 at this venue and has three hundreds in five matches. Therefore, if there is any ground where he can come back to form, it is Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide, a more favourable deck for Virat Kohli
Also, the conditions are likely to be different at the Adeialde Oval compared to the one in Perth for the first ODI. The overhead conditions were overcast, the pitch had extra bounce and the ball was swinging and seaming. Thus, the batting was tough and almost all Indian batters struggled to get going. The Adelaide Oval though is known to be one of the best batting decks in Australia and many Indian batters over the years along with Kohli have enjoyed batting there. Therefore, Australian bowlers will get less chance to exploit Virat's weakness against the moving ball around the off-stump line and Indian star might get value for his shots by hitting through the line.
Moreover, Virat Kohli has an average of close to 50 in ODIs in Australia and just a single failure is not likely to affect his confidence. Thus, expect King Kohli to hunt down his opponents at his favourite ground in Australia and help India make a rollicking comeback in the ODI series.
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