Ind vs Aus ODIs: Former India spinner urges Virat Kohli to announce retirement

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently shared a cryptic post on X, which many fans interpreted as a subtle dig at Virat Kohli, following the star batter’s consecutive failures in the ongoing series against Australia.

The modern batting legend Virat Kohli struggled for form in both matches Down Under, failing to deliver with the bat for a second straight game.

In the series opener at Perth Stadium, Kohli was dismissed for a duck, attempting a drive outside the off-stump against Mitchell Starc. The ball took an edge and flew to Cooper Connolly, who completed an impressive catch.

Hopes were high for Kohli’s comeback in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval, a venue where he has historically performed exceptionally well. However, the script didn’t change. On the fifth ball of the seventh over, Xavier Bartlett bowled a length delivery around off-stump that skidded through and struck Kohli on the pads as he attempted a flick. The umpire raised his finger immediately, and after a brief conversation with Rohit Sharma, Kohli chose not to review, acknowledging the crowd as he walked back to the pavilion.

This second consecutive duck marked a rare low in Kohli’s illustrious career — it was the first time in his 304-match ODI career that he had recorded back-to-back zeroes. Previously, he had suffered consecutive ducks only once each in Tests and T20Is, both in Ahmedabad in 2021.

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The dismissal also registered Kohli’s 40th duck in international cricket, placing him fifth among batters with the most ducks in history. Only Sanath Jayasuriya (50), Mahela Jayawardene (44), Chris Gayle (43), and Younis Khan (42) have more. With this, Kohli equalled Ishant Sharma’s tally for the second-most ducks by an Indian, trailing only Zaheer Khan, who holds the record with 43.

India eventually lost the second ODI by two wickets at Adelaide Oval, conceding the series to Australia with one match left to play at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Shortly after the match concluded, Ravichandran Ashwin took to X and posted an image resembling the Nike logo, featuring the words “Just Leave It” written in the colors of the Indian flag — a playful twist on Nike’s iconic slogan “Just Do It”, first introduced in 1988.

Fans quickly speculated that Ashwin’s post was a veiled message aimed at Kohli, hinting that the off-spinner might be suggesting the veteran batter consider retirement.