Virat Kohli’s struggles on his ODI comeback continued as he fell for a second consecutive duck in the three-match series against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday.
Batting first, Kohli walked in after the dismissal of skipper Shubman Gill before being trapped leg-before wicket for a four-ball duck in the seventh over by seamer Xavier Bartlett. Kohli opted against a referral and trudged off for nought for the first time at his most favoured overseas venue.
India were constricted to a sluggish start with the bat after being sent in by Australia captain Mitchell Marsh. In his first 20 balls at the crease, opener Rohit Sharma had only recorded six runs, his lowest aggregates in an innings in six years since the 2019 World Cup.
Here are key stats about Kohli’s struggles in the middle and India’s top order slump
- For the first time in his 304-match ODI career, Virat Kohli fell for ducks in two consecutive matches. He was previously dismissed for successive ducks in a Test and T20I in Ahmedabad in 2021.
- This is only the second time that Kohli has been dismissed for a duck in Australia in ODIs. It is also the fourth duck against Australia for him.
- This is Kohli’s 40th duck in international cricket. Only Zaheer Khan (43) have had more for India across formats.
40
Total Ducks Across All Formats | 15-Year Career
ODI CRICKET
18
Ducks
45% of Total
TEST CRICKET
15
Ducks
37.5% of Total
T20I CRICKET
7
Ducks
17.5% of Total
How Kohli Got Out for Ducks
Ducks Against Top Opponents
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Key Timeline Insights
Golden Ducks (0 balls)
3 instances: Zimbabwe 2010, Bangladesh 2019, Perth 2025
Duck-Free Years
2015, 2016, 2020 (Zero ducks)
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Prior to the series opener in Perth last Sunday, Kohli had said that he was feeling as fit as ever even though he had not played for India since the Champions Trophy final.
VIRAT KOHLI GONE FOR HIS SECOND DUCK OF THE SERIES!#AUSvIND | #PlayoftheDay | @BKTtires pic.twitter.com/jqIdvMeX9T
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 23, 2025
“Well to be honest, the amount of cricket I’ve played over the last 15-20 years, I’ve actually not rested at all if that makes sense. I’ve probably played the most number of games in the last 15 years in international cricket, combining the IPL together as well. So for me, it was a very refreshing time off. 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,” Kohli said in a chat with Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist on Fox Sports.
Kohli was dismissed by Mitchell Starc with a luring ball outside the off stump that he felt compelled to drive, but in the process sent the ball to backward point, where Cooper Connolly dove and plucked the ball out of thin air.
Kohli’s imperious Adelaide record took a hit with his first duck at the venue. He is still the most successful visiting batter at the venue with 975 runs across formats, including five centuries.
