Virat Kohli informs David Warner of retirement, Australian tries to convince
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After a dismaying series in Australia, Virat Kohli waved off to the Indian as well as Australian spectators in Adelaide, which led to speculations over a supposed ODI retirement for the Indian veteran. Now, he has been spotted with former Australian batter David Warner in a heartwarming hug in Sydney.
India are touring Australia for a white-ball series after a long time; however, the Men in Blue visited the island nation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, 2024, and both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were part of the squad. This time around, too, they have returned to international cricket in Australia.
India have, however, lost the series, and the third ODI is just a dead rubber; however, for the players of both teams, it's one of the preparatory matches for the upcoming World Cup to be played 2 years from now.
Watch: David Warner's heartfelt welcome for Virat Kohli at Sydney
The longtime rivals, as well as off-field buddies 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 has been retired from international cricket for a long time, came to the field only to greet the legendary Indian player. The two greats met and hugged each other in joy. The two have always shared a fantastic bond outside 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 batters against India, and so was Kohli against the Aussies. David Warner also captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad against Virat Kohli's RCB, and the two have had a rivalry in the IPL as well, with the SRH snubbing RCB of their maiden IPL title in the 2016 IPL Final.
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Virat Kohli received much warmth from Australian players on his return to the country
Ever since Virat arrived in Australia after a long break from international action, he has been received with much warmth and love, not only from his Indian fans but also from the Australian spectators as well as the former Australian players, who have spoken highly of his remarkable career.
Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, the two former Australian openers, have been heaping praises on the legendary batter. They had also backed him to stay until the 2027 World Cup, to which the Indian great had smiled with slight acceptance.
Even when Kohli has been dismissed for ducks in this series, the Australian fans have also stood in respect and shown respect for the second-highest run-getter in the history of One-day cricket.
Will Virat Kohli be picked for the home series against South Africa?
Kohli has had two ducks since his comeback to international cricket, with one last inning awaited in the series at Sydney as India would come out to chase a target of 237 runs. However, before the start of the series, Gambhir had said that one needs to perform to remain within the squad.
Rohit scored a good 73 at Adelaide, but with Virat Kohli looking completely out of touch, will Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar be backing the legendary batter to return under sub-continent conditions, or Virat Kohli, much like the longest format of the game, retire having played his final game at Sydney?
India's next ODI series is against the Proteas; the matches will be played in December after the Test series starts on the 14th of November, as soon as Shubman Gill and co. return from Australia having completed the T20I series.
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