During the first ODI on Sunday, October 19, at Optus Stadium in Perth, former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh said that Virat Kohli‘s body language indicated he was likely to collapse shortly. In his much awaited comeback to international cricket following a seven-month hiatus, the star batsman was removed for an eight-ball duck. Waugh emphasized the difficulties that seasoned batsmen encounter when making a long-awaited comeback to international cricket, especially when facing a top-tier pace attack in difficult conditions.
After Rohit Sharma was out early in the fifth over, Virat Kohli entered at No. 3 and was given the responsibility of navigating the new ball on a lively Perth pitch in gloomy conditions. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia’s speedy combo, put his technique to the test right away. His opening ball put Kohli in the pads, and Starc kept the batsmen under pressure with a maiden over.
During his brief stint at the crease, Virat Kohli found it difficult to locate the gaps and time the ball efficiently.
He tried to hit a delivery outside off stump in the penultimate ball of the fifth over and almost lost his wicket, but he lived. The reprieve was brief, though, as Virat Kohli was fired shortly after in a fashion reminiscent of his previous near-miss.
“With the pressure mounting on Virat Kohli, you could practically sense his dismissal coming. Even with his level of expertise, you could see him get a little itchy,” Waugh said to Fox Cricket during the match.
In an attempt to get off to a quick start against Starc, Virat Kohli was removed off the first ball of the seventh over. Cooper Connolly made a fantastic catch when he attempted an uppish drive against a full-length delivery that was heading away from him but only succeeded in creating a thick outside edge that sailed to point.
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup match against England at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, this departure was Kohli’s first duck in an ODI match in Australia and his first overall.
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