Former India player Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken about star batter Virat Kohli’s struggles with the bat in the ongoing ODI series against Australia. Ashwin hoped Virat would bounce back with a strong performance in the third and final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25.
Kohli has registered back-to-back ducks in the ongoing ODI series against Australia. He came into the series after a seven-month hiatus from international cricket since the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai. Notably, he recorded the first consecutive ducks of his ODI career, surprising many in the cricket community.
I really hope Virat Kohli comes back and gets a score – Ravichandran Ashwin
Speaking on his YouTube show, Ravichandran Ashwin warned that critics are ready to scrutinize Virat Kohli if he fails again. Ashwin stressed that Virat should score points before people start pointing fingers.
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“I really hope he comes back and scores in Sydney. What happened to Rohit today (Thursday), Virat Kohli needs it in Sydney because in India we don’t discuss why we lost; more often than not, we discuss because of who we lost. Before people start pointing fingers, I hope Virat scores the runs,” Ashwin said.
Virat is now only active in the 50-over format after opting out of T20Is and Tests. In the first two ODIs against Australia, he faced just 12 balls in the two matches, raising questions about his form and future in the format.
Virat Kohli walked out the same way Rohit Sharma used to walk out – R Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin said dealing with incoming and outgoing deliveries will weigh on Virat Kohli’s mind ahead of the third match. Ashwin said the right-handed batter misjudged the line and came off the bowling of Xavier Bartlett.
“From what I saw today, I think Virat came out similarly to Rohit. But Rohit survived that tough first phase hopefully. He looked very good after the first phase,” Ashwin said.
“I want to talk a little about Virat’s dismissal. Xavier Bartlett is someone who can bowl at 130-135 kmph. After playing with the outswingers, he set up Kohli well. The commentators said the ball got stuck after the delivery.”
“Yes, that’s true. But the queue itself was around off stump and middle stump. Kohli put his leg across the line. Yes, Virat was intercepting deliveries outside off stump and was dismissed. But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him get out like that, failing to connect with a delivery that was coming close.”
Rohit Sharma scores 73 as Virat Kohli struggles in second ODI
Virat Kohli’s struggles continued in the second ODI match, as Rohit Sharma managed to overcome difficult conditions to score 73 runs from 97 balls.
After delivering three consecutive outswingers, Xavier Bartlett delivered a smooth delivery that hit Kohli’s pads. Kohli, expecting another ball outside off, put his foot on the line and found himself stuck straight ahead. The batter did not use a review before returning to the locker room.
Mitchell Starc consistently kept the ball away from Kohli in the first ODI. The former captain put up an exceptional performance in the first match of the series. His weakness against long-off deliveries had also been revealed during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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