After a disappointing series in Australia, Virat Kohli waved to the Indian and Australian audiences in Adelaide, leading to speculations of ODI retirement for the Indian legend. Now, he has been seen hugging former Australian batsman David Warner in Sydney.
India is touring Australia for a white-ball series after a long time; However, the Men in Blue toured the island nation last year for the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were part of the squad. This time too he has returned to international cricket in Australia.
However, India have lost the series, and the third ODI is just a useless rubber; However, for the players of both the teams, it is one of the preparation matches for the upcoming World Cup to be played 2 years from now.
Watch: David Warner warmly welcomes Virat Kohli in Sydney
Long-time rivals as well as off-field friends Virat Kohli and David Warner had a heartfelt reunion at the Sydney Cricket Ground ahead of India’s third match against Australia on Saturday morning.
Warner, who had retired from international cricket a long time ago, had come to the field only to welcome this legendary Indian player. The two giants met and happily embraced each other. The two have always shared a great bond off the field but have also been rivals on the field, be it international cricket or the IPL.
When David Warner played, he was one of the best batsmen against India, and Kohli was also against the Australian team. David Warner also captained Sunrisers Hyderabad against Virat Kohli’s RCB, and the two have also had a rivalry in the IPL, with SRH denying RCB its maiden IPL title in the 2016 IPL final.
On returning to the country, Virat Kohli received a lot of warmth from the Australian players.
Ever since Virat arrived in Australia after a long break from international activities, he has received a very warm and loving welcome not only from his Indian fans but also from the Australian audience as well as former Australian players who have spoken highly of his remarkable career.
Two former Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden are praising this great batsman. He had also backed him to stay till the 2027 World Cup, to which the Indian great smiled with mild approval.
Even when Kohli was out for a duck in this series, Australian fans stood in respect and showed respect to the second highest run scorer in the history of ODI cricket.
Will Virat Kohli be selected for the home series against South Africa?
Kohli, who has been out for duck twice since his return to international cricket, awaits one last innings in the series in Sydney as India look to chase a target of 237 runs. However, before the start of the series, Gambhir had said that to remain in the team, one will have to perform well.
Rohit played a good inning of 73 runs in Adelaide, but Virat Kohli looks completely out of form, will Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar support the great batsman in his comeback in subcontinent conditions, or will Virat Kohli, like in the longest format of the game, retire after playing his final game in Sydney?
India’s next ODI series is against the Proteas; The matches will be played in December after the Test series begins on November 14, as soon as Shubman Gill and co. Return from Australia after completing T20I series.
Also read: India became worse than Pakistan in ODI!
