After getting dismissed for another duck, Kohli waved goodbye to the crowd in Adelaide, hinting at retirement from international cricket

The ongoing India tour of Australia has been terrible for veteran Virat Kohli, who was dismissed for two consecutive ducks in the first and second ODI games. Following his duck in Adelaide, one of his favourite hunting grounds where he has more runs than several Australian legends, the Indian star went back to the pavilion with his head down and disappointment. While returning, he even waved goodbye to the crowd, sparking rumours about retirement from cricket.

The ducks have not only put Virat’s future in a questionable position, but they have also earned him an embarrassing record.

Most ducks across formats

When it comes to most ducks in a career across formats, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan leads the list with 59 ducks. As far as Indian players are concerned, the list starts with Zaheer Khan, who is in 10th place overall in international cricket, with 44 ducks to his name between 2000 and 2014.

(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)

In the 16th position internationally and second for India, pacer Ishant Sharma has 40 ducks, following Zaheer Khan.

Kohli’s embarrassing record

Following his two back-to-back ducks against Australia, Kohli is now the third Indian player with the greatest number of ducks, behind Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Between 2008 and 2025, Kohli has been dismissed for a duck 39 times. Globally, he is ranked 18th.

No batters nearby

Even after Kohli, the players with the most ducks from India are Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Anil Kumble. In short, when it comes to the top five, Kohli is the third and only batter with the most ducks from India among four bowlers.

(Credit- Cricket Times)

Way down the list are Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag. Sharma and Tendulkar are equal with 34 ducks each, ranking 37th globally. Virender Sehwag is ranked 55th globally, with 31 ducks earned between 1999 and 2013.

Virat in Adelaide

To those who aren’t aware of Virat Kohli’s record in Adelaide, so far, he has played 16 games at the venue, having accumulated 975 runs, including five centuries and four half-centuries. Including the second ODI, Kohli has played five ODIs in Adelaide, scoring two consecutive centuries in his last two outings -- one against PAK in 2015 and the other against Australia in 2019.

(Credit- The New Indian Express)

Therefore, expectations were immense that Kohli would find his form back in Adelaide, a venue where he has dominated for years. With only one match remaining in the ODI series, if Kohli fails to break the ongoing phase, his place in the South Africa series may not remain intact.