Ace India batter Virat Kohli brought a wave of relief to the cricketing world—and visibly, to himself—after scoring his first run in three matches during the third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Kohli, who had registered his first-ever consecutive ducks in the 50-over format in the previous two games (an eight-ball duck followed by a four-ball duck), broke the deadlock on the very first ball he faced. Facing Josh Hazlewood, the batting maestro neatly pushed the delivery for a single, immediately turning to non-striker Rohit Sharma with a palpable look of relief and a vigorous fist-pump.
The moment was a stark illustration of the pressure building around the veteran batter, whose recent unimpressive returns in the series had sparked intense scrutiny over his place in the ODI setup, especially with the 2027 World Cup over a year away.
A Sentimental Last Hurrah?
All eyes were fixed on the SCG, a venue rich in history where Kohli had played his final Test earlier in January. As he walked out to bat, the capacity crowd rose in a standing ovation, not just in appreciation, but with a palpable sense that they might be witnessing a significant moment.
The sentiment among the fans and commentators was strong: even if Kohli’s illustrious career continues, this third ODI is likely his last international appearance in Australia. India’s ODI schedule does not include a tour Down Under before the 2027 World Cup, making this match a potential farewell to the nation that has both challenged and celebrated his genius.
The pressure on Kohli was magnified after his failure in the second ODI in Adelaide, a venue where he boasts five international centuries and a phenomenal average of 65 across all formats. His gesture of throwing his gloves to the crowd upon his second consecutive duck departure in Adelaide had even fueled premature retirement rumours.
In Sydney, however, the single off Hazlewood was a small but crucial victory. A big score at the SCG is now paramount, not only to boost his career momentum but also to give him the much-needed confidence to silence the critics and re-cement his spot on the road to the next World Cup.