Never before in his ODI career was Virat Kohli dismissed for two consecutive ducks in ODI cricket. After failing to open his account in 8 balls in the Perth ODI, Kohli was sent packing for a 4-ball duck in Adelaide. The India stalwart’s dismissal triggered intense chatter among fans on social media, with some wondering if the talismanic batter’s days in international cricket are over. Returning to the dressing room after his dismissal, Kohli’s gesture added fuel to the retirement chatter, making fans wonder if all is over for the 36-year-old.
Kohli was seen waving to the fans, with gloves in his hand, as he returned to the dressing room. The gesture made fans wonder if the batter was signalling his exit to them. With someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting on the bench, the competition for places in the Indian team is extremely fierce. Kohli, despite his stature, isn’t a guaranteed selection at the moment.
End is very-very near guys, cherish each and every moment of Virat kohli in this tour.pic.twitter.com/vgJ3Uy4rxO
— U’ (@toxifyy18) October 23, 2025
Here’s how fans rected to Kohli’s gesture:
Virat Kohli just lifts his right glove to wave at the Adelaide crowd as he walks back for a zero, his second in a row.
Is it just for the Adelaide Oval or for everyone?
For sure, fans would love to see him go with a Bang#INDvsAUS— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9) October 23, 2025
Is Virat King Kohli retiring? #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/Sbkienpgmq
— jollyengineer (@bigrcbfan) October 23, 2025
VIRAT KOHLI THANKING THE ADELAIDE CROWD. pic.twitter.com/cSFK2dN4tD
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 23, 2025
The way Kohli thanked the fans actually scares me a bit pic.twitter.com/m6jUUEsytr
— Kevin (@imkevin149) October 23, 2025
Ahead of the first ODI at Perth, Kohli made a bold statement about his fitness and preparedness for the series. He also refused to give up on the 2027 ODI World Cup dream. But his performances on the field haven’t quite matched the words he used ahead of the start of the series.
“I’m feeling as fit, if not fitter than I’ve ever been before, and yeah, you can just feel the freshness when you know you can play the game, and mentally you know what to do out there; it’s just the physical preparation that really needs to be taken care of,” he had said ahead of the start of the first ODI on Sunday.
“At this stage, I realised that if my body is fit, if my reflexes are there, then the game awareness is already there; my body has to match up with it, and that’s something that I try to keep up with. I live my life like that and, yeah, no issues at all. I’m feeling fresh here coming into Australia and moving really well in the nets and in the fielding sessions as well, so all good so far,” Kohli had said.
ODI World Cup seems to be the aim for Kohli, but his form, at present, is set to make it tough for him to retain his spot in the team.