Australia beat India by two wickets in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead with one to play.
India posted 264 for 9, but Cooper Connolly’s composed 61 not out and Matt Short’s 74 saw the hosts home; Adam Zampa starred with 4 wickets.
Kohli’s duck and India’s batting slide
The headline moment came early: Virat Kohli, dismissed for a second successive duck, nicked off to Xavier Bartlett, extending a lean series at a venue where he has previously excelled.
India never fully recovered despite Rohit Sharma’s 73 and Shreyas Iyer’s 61, as Zampa’s middle overs brilliance checked the rebuild.
Overseas frailties of India exposed again
This defeat underlines a familiar problem: India’s batting and catching too often dip on quicker, bouncier pitches outside Asia.
Cricketing fans often call ‘India a team for Asia’ but a second grader at away conditions.
Australia’s youngsters, Connolly and Mitch Owen, handled the chase’s tense moments better than India’s attack managed the finish.
With one game left, India face uncomfortable questions about adaptability and intensity on tours like Australia, where margins are small and pitches bounce more than Asian pitches.
Indian batting performance
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 73 | 97 | c J. Hazlewood b M. Starc |
| Shubman Gill (c) | 9 | 9 | c M. Marsh b X. Bartlett |
| Virat Kohli | 0 | 4 | lbw b X. Bartlett |
| Shreyas Iyer | 61 | 77 | b A. Zampa |
| Axar Patel | 44 | 41 | c M. Starc b A. Zampa |
| KL Rahul (wk) | 11 | 15 | b A. Zampa |
| Washington Sundar | 12 | 14 | c J. Hazlewood b X. Bartlett |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 8 | 10 | st A. Carey b A. Zampa |
| Harshit Rana | 24 | 18 | not out |
| Arshdeep Singh | 13 | 14 | b M. Starc |
| Mohammed Siraj | 0 | 1 | not out |
Australian batting performance
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh (c) | 11 | 24 | c KL Rahul b Arshdeep Singh |
| Travis Head | 28 | 40 | c Virat Kohli b Harshit Rana |
| Matt Short | 74 | 78 | c Mohammed Siraj b Harshit Rana |
| Matt Renshaw | 30 | 30 | b Axar Patel |
| Alex Carey (wk) | 9 | 17 | b Washington Sundar |
| Cooper Connolly | 61 | 53 | not out |
| Mitchell Owen | 36 | 23 | c Arshdeep Singh b Washington Sundar |
| Xavier Bartlett | 3 | 5 | c Shubman Gill b Arshdeep Singh |
| Mitchell Starc | 4 | 7 | c Axar Patel b Mohammed Siraj |
| Adam Zampa | 0 | 1 | not out |
Kohli’s lean patch continues with 2 consecutive ducks in Australia
Virat Kohli made two consecutive ODI ducks for the first time in his career.
The 36 year old returned to international cricket for the first time since March and had not played since the IPL final on 3 June.
His timing and judgement looked off. For a senior batter this run raises hard questions about preparation, sharpness and whether he can still set the tone.
Kohli’s performance in last two years
| Year | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s | Ducks | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 58 | 24 | 19.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 275 | 100* | 34.37 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 1 |
These shocking stats reveal a single six in last two years from the bat of Virat Kohli.
