When India plays Australia in the second ODI in Adelaide on Thursday, Australia batsman Matthew Short thinks his team’s pacers will keep taking advantage of Virat Kohli’s frailty outside off stump.
With five international hundreds and an average of 65 across formats, the Adelaide Oval is Kohli’s most successful overseas venue. He will be keen to recover after being bowled for a duck in the series opener in Perth.
“I’m not in the fast-bowling meetings, but that seems to be the way he has been getting out recently,” Short told reporters.
“Some of the guys like ‘Hoff’ (Josh Hazlewood) and ‘Starcy’ (Mitchell Starc), they have bowled a lot against him, they know what they’re doing.
“In Perth they sort of let the conditions do all the work, a bit of swing and nip on the wicket, so I’m sure they’ll do the same again.”
In the first ODI of the white-ball series, India had a resounding victory thanks to a 42,423-strong crowd at the Optus Stadium, the majority of whom had come to see Rohit Sharma and Kohli play again after more than seven months missing in action.
For the first time since winning the Champions Trophy on March 9, the former captains, who had already retired from the game’s other formats, returned to national duty.
After that victory, they declared their retirements from Test cricket while sticking to the ODI format. They had already announced their retirements from T20 cricket following India’s World Cup victory last year.
“When Rohit or (Shubman) Gill got out the other day (in Perth), and then Kohli came on, just the cheer when he was walking on – you’d feel pretty bad as the batter walking off. It’s just an amazing experience,” Short added.
Rohit and Kohli both appeared rusty in their comeback game and were removed for 8 and 0, respectively, as Australia’s stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh led from the front with an undefeated 46 to secure a seven-wicket victory in the rain-soaked Perth ODI.
India trail 0–1 in the series, making Thursday’s clash in Adelaide a must-win to stay alive — and possibly the duo’s final appearance Down Under.
“But it’s going to be a cool way for him to go out, especially with so many fans here in Australia,” Short said, as he hoped to make the most of sharing the field with the Indian greats.
“It’s pretty cool to share the field with such a legend of the sport,” he said.
“I’ll definitely get the chance to have a chat to him at some stage throughout the series.”
This white-ball series is important for players like Short in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
The right-hander, who made his debut against India in Mohali, has struggled with injuries and shifting positions, starting at number eight on his debut and now at number three in the current series and is still looking for form.
“It’s been frustrating… I still feel like I’m moving well. I’m feeling good out in the middle,” Short said.
“Just haven’t got the runs on the board. But hopefully they come soon. It’s been a frustrating year in terms of getting that continuous cricket.”
Regarding his batting position, the 29-year-old stated that he is adaptable.
“It’s always going to be tough to get a spot in the XI and I’ll sort of take whatever that is, whether it’s opening, batting at three or wherever. It’s just (about) staying flexible and trying to bat wherever you’re put and be able to take that,” he said.
“Especially the last few years, I’m so used to opening the batting and batting in that top order, but batting at three is not too dissimilar.
“But if it was to come through the middle, you’d probably need to prep a bit for that but it’s something I’ve done before in the past. If that came to happen, I’d definitely take it.”
Due to a calf injury, left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis will not be participating in the ODI series. He hopes to be available for the October 29 start of the T20I series in Canberra.
Sydney will host the last One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series on Saturday.
