What’s really happening with Virat Kohli in Australia’s ODIs? Former teammate breaks silence

Playing his first international match since the 2025 Champions Trophy in February-March, Kohli has yet to score any runs. Former teammate Irfan Pathan shared his views on the potential reasons behind this slump.

“Virat Kohli-two back-to-back ducks. I’ve never seen that. This might be the impact of pressure or rustiness. I think the social media pressure being put on the two greats-Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli-must be managed so it doesn’t affect Kohli. It’s important to persist with them when the runs aren’t coming. It’s tough. When the sword is hanging, it’s not easy to perform. I hope Virat Kohli isn’t feeling that pressure internally,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

In the second ODI, Kohli was dismissed while playing his favourite flick shot. So how does he bounce back? “I think Virat Kohli wants to take a single quickly, to get off strike, especially after getting out for ducks. It’s natural. But it must be ensured that there’s no desperation. He must continue enjoying his batting. If he spends time in the middle, the runs will come. He won’t look back from there,” Pathan added.

Pathan also voiced his displeasure with India’s decision to bench left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in Thursday’s crucial ODI match against Australia in Adelaide. As Australia chased down the target of 265 to seal the series, India’s bowling attack struggled to make any impact.

Taking to his X handle, Pathan wrote, “Kuldeep Yadav was a must for this game. Things could have been different had he been there, but the onus is on batters to score more runs. Losing two wickets in the powerplay regularly won’t help the cause. Cooper Connolly is surely the one for the future for Australia.”