Virat Kohli’s gesture at the Adelaide Oval has left fans emotional and curious. The star batter was dismissed for zero runs in two consecutive ODIs — the first time in his career. After getting out, Kohli lifted his right hand and waved quietly to the crowd, almost as if saying goodbye.
Adelaide has always been special for Kohli — he has scored 975 runs here, the most by any visiting batter. The crowd gave him a warm welcome when he came out to bat, but after his quick dismissal, they still clapped as he walked off. His small wave in return caught everyone’s attention and sparked talks of retirement on social media.
Some fans wondered if it was his way of saying farewell to Adelaide, while others thought it might signal his retirement from ODIs.
This series marks Kohli’s return to international cricket after a seven-month break. He has already retired from T20Is and Tests, and is now playing only in ODIs. However, his comeback hasn’t gone as planned.
In the first ODI in Perth, Kohli faced eight balls and was dismissed for a duck by Mitchell Starc, edging a delivery to backward point. In the second ODI at Adelaide, Xavier Bartlett trapped him LBW with a full delivery after setting him up with a few short ones. Kohli didn’t take a review, and replays confirmed it was hitting the middle stump
