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The third ODI of the ongoing three-match series between India and Australia will be played at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday (October 25).
Virat Kohli to retire from ODIs after India-Australia match in Sydney? (Picture Credit: AFP)
Virat Kohli played his first competitive match for India after 224 days on October 19 in Perth, but he failed to open his account and got out for an eight-ball duck. After his first ODI duck in Australia, fans expected a big show from Kohli in the second match at Adelaide Oval on October 23, but in that game too the former India captain failed to open his account and got out for a four-ball duck.
After Kohli scored back-to-back ducks for the first time in his ODI career, which kicked off way back on August 18, fans feared that Kohli might quit ODI cricket, and Kohli’s former teammate Parthiv Patel’s tweet that read, “Sydney it is!!” after the second ODI fuelled the speculations of Kohli’s retirement following the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday (October 25).
But on Friday (October 24), while replying to a fan’s question on X, Patel issued clarification about his tweet and said it was not related to Kohli’s retirement.
X user @dev_gupta07 asked if his Patel’s tweet was related to Kohli’s retirement from ODIs. He replied by saying, “Not at all!!”
Patel’s clarification has settled concerns, confirming that Kohli is not stepping away from ODI cricket.
Kohli, who is the third-highest run-getter in ODIs, retired from T20Is last year following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024 and stepped away from Test cricket on May 12.
Kohli’s ODI record at SCG
Kohli, who is arguably the greatest ODI batter of all time, has played a total of seven ODI matches so far at Sydney Cricket Ground and scored 146 runs. His ODI batting average in Sydney is 24.33, and he has only managed to score one half-century at his iconic venue.
Virat Kohli’s ODI scores at Sydney Cricket Ground
| RUNS | BALLS | 4/6s | AGAINST | DATE |
| 21* | 27 | 2/0 | Australia | February 26, 2012 |
| 3 | 9 | 0/0 | Australia | January 26, 2015 |
| 1 | 13 | 0/0 | Australia | March 23, 2015 |
| 8 | 11 | 1/0 | Australia | January 23, 2016 |
| 3 | 8 | 0/0 | Australia | January 12, 2019 |
| 21 | 21 | 2/1 | Australia | November 27, 2020 |
| 89 | 87 | 7/2 | Australia | November 29, 2020 |
Kohli, who will play his last international match for India in Australia on Saturday, will have a chance to break multiple batting records in the third ODI. If he manages to score at least 54 runs, then he will overtake Kumar Sangakkara and become the second-highest run scorer in ODIs.
Sydney, Australia
October 24, 2025, 21:34 IST
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