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After a disappointing return to international cricket in the first ODI at Perth, where Virat Kohli struggled with the outside off-stump trap yet again, the star batter hit the nets, firing some of his trademark shots and attempting back-foot strokes ahead of the second ODI at Adelaide Oval. In videos posted on social media, Virat is seen delivering back-foot punches and cuts, finishing the video with an impressive pull shot. When @imVkohli trains in Adelaide, magic follows! ✨ WATCH HIM ? #AUSvIND 2nd ODI | THU, 23rd OCT, 8 AM pic.twitter.com/NkGEmxP1jy — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 21, 2025 Match prep in full swing! ? @ImRo45, @imVkohli, @ShreyasIyer15 & @ShubmanGill are sweating it out ahead of the big game against Australia. ⚔#AUSvIND ? 2nd ODI | THU, 23rd OCT, 8 AM pic.twitter.com/ixaF4WLnk4 — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 21, 2025 Following his eight-ball duck at Perth in his international return, which dampened the festive feel of the ODI series during Diwali week, Virat aims to redeem himself with a fine knock, avoiding the outside off-stump trap that has plagued him for a while. Kohli’s Record At Adelaide Oval, he is India’s highest run-scorer of all time, with 975 runs in 12 matches and 17 innings at an average of 65.00, including five centuries and four fifties, with a best score of 141. He is notably the best visiting batter at this venue, making it his home away from home. In eight innings this year, he has scored 275 runs in eight ODIs, averaging 39.28, with a century, two fifties, and a best score of 100*. Virat has made significant career statements at this venue. During the 2011-12 Test tour, when his credentials as a Test batter were questioned, he scored his maiden Test hundred here against a formidable line-up of Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Peter Siddle, against whom legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, and Rahul Dravid struggled in the twilight of their careers. As a result, Virat was the only Indian batter to cross the 300-run mark in the series, marking the beginning of the end for the aforementioned legends. His next significant performance came in December 2014 during the first Test of the tour, when a 26-year-old Virat stepped into MS Dhoni’s shoes, with Dhoni out due to injury. In his first Test as captain, Virat scored twin hundreds, 115 and 141. The intimidation attempt by Mitchell Johnson, after a tough 134-run tour of England, triggered something in Virat. Whispering ‘Om Namaah Shivay,’ he smashed Johnson, Siddle, Harris, and Nathan Lyon all over the park as if the England tour had never happened. His 141 in the second innings, while chasing 364 on the final day, signalled his future approach to captaincy: no boring draws, no complacency, just going for the kill till the last ball. Though India fell short of the target by 48 runs, Virat announced he was India’s next warrior in whites, someone difficult to tame, whose wicket had to be earned. In January 2019, he scored a classy 104 off 112 balls, helping India secure a comeback win after being 1-0 down in the three-match series, leading India to their first ODI series win in Australia. His last outing at Adelaide was less memorable, as the outside off-stump trap set by Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland dismissed him before he could gain fluency. After a century in the first Test at Perth, the slow, repeated surrender to the outside off-stump trap led him to retire from Test cricket. However, he has something even more special to inspire him. The last time his game, intent, and spot within the team were questioned, he gave India a memorable Diwali gift. Chasing 160 against Pakistan during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Virat slowly pulled the game back in India’s favour with a century stand with Hardik Pandya, scoring an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls. This score was immortalised by two audacious sixes against Haris Rauf in the penultimate over, labelled the ‘Shot of the Century’ by the ICC. This knock, witnessed by a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23rd, marked the beginning of Kohli’s second wind in international cricket. While his Test fortunes fluctuated, his white-ball form remained strong, leading to achievements like a record-breaking 50th ODI ton, an all-time best 765-run campaign in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and titles in both the T20 World Cup and IPL. As he steps onto Adelaide, exactly two years later, fans eagerly anticipate another Virat masterclass that could fuel the dream of him lifting the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia. (With inputs from Agencies)
