With Australia having sealed a 2-0 lead, the series finale on Saturday in Sydney should have been treated as a dead rubber. But not with what’s at stake for one of the greatest one-day batters of all time – Virat Kohli. The former captain is under immense pressure to deliver after bagging two ducks in as many games in the series, which marked his return to international cricket after seven months. As expected, every word and every gesture of the great man has been dissected to the letter, and a simple wave of his gloves towards fans at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday has sparked speculation about his retirement.
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Quite a few see this as make-or-break for Kohli. Even as the likes of Sunil Gavaskar played it down, saying the 36-year-old is not someone who quits after two failures, there is a lingering fear that the end could be near. Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been told they will be judged, but not put on trial, after returning to competitive action with their sights set on the 2027 World Cup.
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