Kohli Falls for a Second Consecutive Duck as Australia Opt to Bowl First in Adelaide ODI

Oct 2025 : Australia made three changes to their playing eleven as skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

With a 1-0 lead in the three-match series following their seven-wicket win in a rain-affected opener at Perth, Australia brought in Alex Carey and Xavier Bartlett, while Adam Zampa returned to replace Matthew Kuhnemann—a change Marsh forgot to mention during the toss.

“The weather played havoc in Perth, but the way we stuck at it was really pleasing,” Marsh said at the toss. “There were a lot of positives from that match. This is one of the better pitches in the country, and everyone loves playing here. We always get amazing crowds, and hopefully both teams put on a great show. Any time you have the chance to seal a series in the second game, it’s a great opportunity. We’ve got a lot of young guys, so I’m looking forward to it.”

India captain Shubman Gill, standing in as skipper, announced an unchanged eleven. “Looks like a good surface. We would have bowled first as well since the pitch has been under cover for a couple of days. There might be a bit of movement early on, but we’re happy to bat first. Hopefully, the weather stays good and we have no interruptions,” he said.

In their pitch report, Parthiv Patel and Shane Watson said the Adelaide Oval promised a fair contest between bat and ball. “There’s a little bit of moisture on top, but Adelaide usually produces a true pitch. Overnight UV treatment was used to draw out excess moisture, so we expect a good game,” they noted.

However, the match took a dramatic turn early in India’s innings when Virat Kohli’s much-anticipated appearance at his favourite ground ended in heartbreak. The former India captain, who has scored five international centuries at the Adelaide Oval—his highest tally at any venue—was dismissed for a four-ball duck, his second in consecutive ODIs.

In the seventh over, debutant Xavier Bartlett produced a superb inswinger that struck Kohli flush on the pad. After a brief discussion with Rohit Sharma, the Indian star decided against reviewing the decision. The dismissal capped a clever set-up by Bartlett, who had bowled three deliveries outside off stump before bringing one sharply back in to trap Kohli lbw.

The dismissal marked Kohli’s first instance of consecutive ducks in ODI cricket. As he walked back, the packed Adelaide crowd—many waving Indian flags—rose to their feet in a standing ovation for the batting legend who has amassed 976 runs at the venue, the most by any visiting player. Kohli acknowledged the gesture with a gentle wave before heading back to the pavilion.

If this proves to be Kohli’s final appearance at the Adelaide Oval, it was a poignant farewell for a player whose greatest innings—including his 2014 Test hundred and 2018 ODI century—were forged on this very ground.

Kohli will now look to redeem himself in the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday, aiming to finish the tour on a high and regain his touch ahead of the upcoming home season.

Playing XIs:

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj

Team Maverick.