Indian cricket great Virat Kohli has recorded an unwanted first, going out for a duck during the ODI clash with Australia in Perth.
Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss and sent the tourists into bat, and the Aussies quickly had them on the back foot at Optus Stadium.
Rohit Sharma was first to fall, edging one to second slip (Matt Renshaw) off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood for just eight runs.
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Then Virat Kohli lasted eight balls without making a run before he was caught at backward point (Cooper Connolly) off the bowling of Mitch Starc.
The 36-year-old has featured in 30 ODI matches on Australian soil and never made a duck, up until now. And he looked bitterly disappointed as he departed the field following Connolly’s impressive diving catch.
Indian captain Shubman Gill (11) briefly threatened but he too was caught out (Josh Philippe) off the bowling of Nathan Ellis.
India were not helped by the conditions and there had been rain delays in the early part of the match.
It is widely considered this is a farewell tour from Kohli and Sharma who are both in the twilight of their glittering careers.
But eager fans who have been waiting for Kohli’s comeback were all saying the same thing after he trudged off the field.
“Virat Kohli will retire after this series. This is clearly visible now,” one fan said.
While veteran journalist Dan Cherny said: “When does the masters circuit begin?”
Content creator Farid Khan said: “Kohli, what have you done? 💔💔💔.”
And another: “Time to pack up for Virat Kohli … we can’t waste talent like Tilak Varma because of one tired person.”
And another: “It was so disappointing to see Virat Kohli repeat the same mistakes that turned out to be the final nail in the coffin of his Test career.”
And another: “This Shot will be forever remembered for the downfall of Virat Kohli, it’s his only reason for his Retirement.”
There was also an outpouring of emotion from many of his adoring fans.
“When you wait 4 months & 16 days to watch an 8 ball duck … Feel for Virat Kohli,” one fan said.
And another: “Virat Kohli dismissed 💔💔 for an 8 ball duck. A very disappointing moment after Long waiting periods.”
Kohli and Sharma retired from Test cricket and T20 internationals, and there’s doubt about whether they will play on until the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa.
At the time of writing the game had been reduced to 49 overs due to the rain delays (with one bowler only allowed to bowl nine overs).
Meanwhile, star Australia allrounder Cameron Green was ruled out for the three-match series after picking up a side niggle at training this week.
The injury is only minor, with selectors confident Green will be able to feature in two upcoming Sheffield Shield matches before fronting up for the Ashes opener in Perth, starting November 21.
More to come …
AUSTRALIA: Mitch Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Matt Short, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matt Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
INDIA: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
– With AAP