‘Competition is tough’: Ravi Shastri’s honest take after Virat Kohli’s back-to-back ducks against Australia

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli’s time as coach and captain helped India become much fitter and stronger, especially in pace bowling, with several big overseas Test wins. Shastri knows Kohli’s mindset well. After Kohli got out for his second consecutive duck in the ongoing ODI series against Australia, Shastri said the 2027 ODI World Cup is still “a long way off” for him.

“He’ll have to get some form pretty quickly. The competition for places in India’s white-ball cricket is such that no one can afford to relax-whether it’s Virat, Rohit, or anyone else in the team. It’s not going to be easy; there is competition,” Shastri said on Fox Sports.

“He’s missed out again today. He was a little tentative with his footwork. It doesn’t happen often-his record in one-day cricket is phenomenal-so for him to get two ducks on the trot, he’ll be disappointed.”

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A stunned silence swept Adelaide Oval on Thursday as Virat Kohli got out for his second consecutive duck in the ongoing ODI series against Australia. This marked the first time in his long 50-over career that he was dismissed for back-to-back ducks.

Kohli had recorded an eight-ball duck in the series opener at Perth on Sunday and came into Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite grounds, hoping to turn things around and take charge of the game.

Given his excellent record at Adelaide Oval over the years, experts, fans, and pundits expected Virat Kohli to perform well in the second ODI. However, in what could be Kohli’s final appearance at the iconic ground, the Indian veteran was outsmarted by young Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett, continuing his poor run in the series