Virat Kohli’s gesture in the second ODI in Adelaide went viral on social media, with many interpreting it as a subtle farewell, fueling speculation about his immediate retirement from international cricket.
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Virat Kohli made his return to the Indian team after a seven-month hiatus during the ongoing Australian tour. However, his comeback has been disastrous so far, as Virat was dismissed for a duck in both the ODIs against Australia.
On Thursday, October 23, 2025, during the second ODI against Australia at Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite grounds in the world, Kohli was dismissed for a four-ball duck by Xavier Bartlett, marking his second consecutive duck in the series (the first came in Perth).
As he walked off the field, Virat raised his glove in acknowledgment of a standing ovation from the crowd – predominantly Australian fans who applauded his legacy at the venue, where he has played many memorable knocks, over the years.
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This emotional moment quickly went viral on social media, with many interpreting the gesture as a subtle farewell, fueling speculation about his immediate retirement from ODIs or international cricket altogether.
Since the start of the series, the 36-year-old Kohli along with Rohit Sharma had already been under scrutiny, especially with the 2027 ODI World Cup on the horizon. Consecutive failures have intensified debates about Virat’s form and future in the 50-over format, where he remains one of India’s all-time leading run-scorers.
Sunil Gavaskar Puts An End To Virat Kohli Retirement Rumours
Meanwhile, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar dismissed the retirement rumors about Virat Kohli, saying that star batter has plenty of cricket left and is not the type to retire after just two back-to-back ducks in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Australia.
“Look, the man has more than 14,000 runs, 52 ODI centuries, and I think 32 Test centuries. He’s scored thousands and thousands of runs, so he’s allowed a couple of failures. Don’t read too much into what has happened – there’s plenty of cricket left, plenty of cricket ahead. Maybe Sydney will see a big innings from him. Adelaide, of course, has been his favorite ground in Australia, both at the Test level and in ODIs. He’s scored hundreds there, so naturally, everyone was expecting a big one here as well. But that didn’t quite happen,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
The 76-year Gavaskar said the applause for Kohli was genuinely heartwarming. He explained that the wave was simply a gesture of acknowledgement toward the fans, former players, and administrators seated in the members’ stand, which happened to be in the same direction as the pavilion Virat was walking toward after his dismissal.
“What a wonderful ovation he got when he walked out to bat. It was truly heartwarming because the majority of the crowd were Australians. Yes, there were lots of Indians there, but most of the crowd were Australians, recognizing what he’s done for the game. That ovation was really, really special. No, it’s not the end. Look, where he was going – where the players come down from – is where the members’ stand is. The members’ stand is where former players, administrators, and others sit. I think he was just acknowledging the ovation they were giving him,” he said.
With Australia leading the three-match series 2-0 after impressive wins in Perth and Adelaide, India will play a dead rubber in Sydney on Saturday, October 25.
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Avinash Kumar is a sports journalist with Zee News English and specialises in conducting exclusive interviews and ground reporting, having covered multiple tournaments like the ODI World Cup, IPL, … Read more
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