WEB DESK: India’s cricket icon Virat Kohli faced another challenging day, registering an undesirable record after being dismissed for a four-ball duck in the second ODI against Australia on Thursday.
This latest dismissal marks a tough milestone for Kohli, making him the active player with the highest number of ducks in One Day Internationals. He now has 18 ducks in ODI cricket, overtaking Rohit Sharma, Litton Das, and former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor, who each have 16 ducks to their name.
For the first time in his illustrious career, Kohli suffered the rare setback of scoring zero in consecutive ODIs. On a global scale, Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya holds the all-time record with 34 ducks in ODIs, followed by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi with 30.
Kohli’s dismissal during the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval came courtesy of Xavier Bartlett, playing his debut game of the series. This follows his eight-ball duck in the opening ODI at Perth, resulting in consecutive scoreless innings, a rarity for a player whose career has been synonymous with consistency and remarkable run-scoring prowess.
Match Summary
Batting first, India set a target of 265 runs after scoring 264 for nine in the allotted 50 overs. Rohit Sharma led the innings with 73 off 97 balls, while Shreyas Iyer added 61 and Axar Patel made 44. For Australia, Adam Zampa took four wickets for 60 runs, while Xavier Bartlett claimed three for 39.
In reply, Australia reached the target in 46.2 overs, finishing on 265 for eight. Matthew Short scored 74, Cooper Connolly remained unbeaten on 61, and Mitchell Owen contributed a quick 36. Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar took two wickets each for India.
The victory kept Australia unbeaten in the series. The final match will decide whether India can register a consolation win before the series concludes.
