Adelaide is one of Virat Kohli’s favourite venues
India tasted a disappointing start in the ongoing series against Australia as it lost the first ODI match without putting in a gallant effort. However, the bigger disappointment was the performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who scored eight and zero runs, respectively. Fortunately, India’s next game is in Adelaide, a venue that is one of Kohli’s favourites because he is the highest non-Australian run-getter in this stadium.
Ahead of the second game, let us look at his numbers in Adelaide and why Adelaide feels like it could be the perfect venue for his comeback.
Overall numbers
So far in his career, Virat Kohli has played 15 matches in Adelaide across formats. In the 15 games, he accumulated 975 runs at a strike rate of 69.59 and an average of 65. He also has five centuries and four half-centuries. Not to forget, out of the 975 runs, 364 runs came from 91 fours.
(Credit- Bhaskar English)
Fun fact: Kohli has more runs than Australians like Steve Smith, Greg Chappell, Shane Watson, and Adam Gilchrist, who have played several more innings at the venue than Kohli.
What about ODI?
Virat Kohli has also played four ODIs in Adelaide, having scored 244 runs at an average of 61.00 with a strike rate of 83.84. His last two outings produced two consecutive centuries – one against PAK in 2015 and the second against Australia in 2019. In terms of boundaries in Adelaide in ODIs, Kohli has hit 15 fours and two sixes.
(Credit- The Bridge)
Kohli’s last decent innings
Kohli’s last decent innings against the Aussies was in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy semi-final. After India lost the early wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, it was Virat who took the onus of scoring big on himself and hit 84 runs in 98 balls. His innings was one of the most crucial points in the match that helped India win the semi-final.
Sunil Gavaskar on Kohli and Sharma
Similar to fans, despite the hiccup in the first game, India’s veteran Sunil Gavaskar still has lofty expectations from Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The former cricketer said, “Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games. They are coming back after a few months away from international cricket. The more they play, the more time they spend in the nets, and the more throwdowns they get, maybe even from the reserve bowlers bowling at them from 20 years instead of 22, the quicker they will find their rhythm. Once they are back among the runs, India’s total will be 300, 300-plus.”
(Credit- Cricfit)
Virat Kohli must find his form back, given his runs will not only help India win but also will play an important role in earning him a place in the following ODI series before the 2027 World Cup. If he doesn’t perform well, the ODI series in 2026 won’t find him in the playing XI, and his place in the World Cup will be next to nil.
