Virat Kohli Set to Retire From ODIs at Sydney After Consecutive Ducks in Australia?

Ind vs Aus, 3rd ODI: Virat Kohli will walk out to bat at the Sydney Cricket ground for the third and final ODI on Saturday and speculations are rife that it could be his farewell match. The speculations also gained momentum after Kohli acknowledged the standing ovation from the Adelaide crowd after registering a duck at his happy-hunting ground. Amid much wild speculations, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has broken silence on the matter and given his two cents. As per Gavaskar, it is not the end for Kohli and the ovation and acknowledgement at Adelaide was majorly from the Indian fans. 

ALSO READ: IND vs AUS: Shubman Gill Applauds Rohit’s Fighting Show In 2nd ODI

'No, it's not the end'

"Look, the man has more than 14,000 runs, 52 ODI centuries, and I think 32 Test centuries. He's scored thousands and thousands of runs, so he's allowed a couple of failures. Don't read too much into what has happened - there's plenty of cricket left, plenty of cricket ahead. Maybe Sydney will see a big innings from him. Adelaide, of course, has been his favorite ground in Australia, both at the Test level and in ODIs. He's scored hundreds there, so naturally, everyone was expecting a big one here as well. But that didn't quite happen," Gavaskar said.

"What a wonderful ovation he got when he walked out to bat. It was truly heartwarming because the majority of the crowd were Australians. Yes, there were lots of Indians there, but most of the crowd were Australians, recognising what he's done for the game. That ovation was really, really special. No, it's not the end. Look, where he was going - where the players come down from - is where the members' stand is. The members' stand is where former players, administrators, and others sit. I think he was just acknowledging the ovation they were giving him," he added.

ALSO READ: Kohli Achieves Unwanted Record After Back-To-Back Duck vs Australia

Will Kohli Play 2027 ODI WC? 

While Sydney may not be his final dance in international cricket, given his form - it would be very difficult for him to stay in the XI till the 2027 ODI WC. But again, he is a champion and hence you can never write him off.