Virat Kohli's retirement status revealed as India legend explains goodbye wave to Adelaide crowd

India batter Virat Kohli's goodbye wave in Adelaide sparked rumors about his future, but legend Sunil Gavaskar dismissed them. Gavaskar said that Kohli’s gesture was an acknowledgment of the crowd’s standing ovation and confirmed that the 36-year-old will play in the third and final ODI in Sydney.

Kohli’s consecutive ducks in Perth and Adelaide have fueled speculation about his retirement from ODIs. After his dismissal in the second ODI, Kohli waved to the crowd, which led fans to wonder if he was signaling the end of his international career. The moment sparked debate in the cricket community.

Virat Kohli Is Allowed a Couple of Failures - Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking to Sports Tak, Sunil Gavaskar dismissed concerns about Virat Kohli retiring from international cricket. Gavaskar expressed confidence that the 36-year-old still has plenty of cricket left and also backed him to make a comeback in the upcoming ODI in Sydney.

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“Look, the man has more than 14,000 runs, 52 ODI centuries, and I think 32 Test centuries. He's scored thousands and thousands of runs, so he's allowed a couple of failures,” Gavaskar said.

"Don't read too much into what has happened — there's plenty of cricket left, plenty of cricket ahead. Maybe Sydney will see a big innings from him. Adelaide, of course, has been his favorite ground in Australia, both at the Test level and in ODIs. He's scored hundreds there, so naturally, everyone was expecting a big one here as well. But that didn't quite happen," he added.

What a Wonderful Ovation Virat Kohli Got - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said that Virat Kohli’s wave in Adelaide was not a signal of retirement but a recognition of the respect Kohli received from the audience. Gavaskar noted that, while Indian supporters were present, the ovation came largely from Australian fans.

“What a wonderful ovation he got when he walked out to bat. It was truly heartwarming because the majority of the crowd were Australians. Yes, there were lots of Indians there, but most of the crowd were Australians, recognising what he's done for the game," Gavaskar continued.

"That ovation was really, really special. No, it's not the end. Look, where he was going — where the players come down from — is where the members' stand is. The members' stand is where former players, administrators, and others sit. I think he was just acknowledging the ovation they were giving him," he added.

Australia Seal 2-0 ODI Series Win with Two-Wicket Victory Over India

Australia clinched the three-match ODI series 2-0 with a narrow two-wicket victory over India. The home team chased down the target of 265 runs in 46.2 overs with 22 balls to spare.

Rohit Sharma, who scored 73 off 97 balls, and Shreyas Iyer (61 off 77) revived India after the loss of two early wickets. Axar Patel (44 off 41) and Harshit Rana (24 off 18) added crucial contributions to push the total to a competitive score.

Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers for Australia with 4/60, while Xavier Bartlett (3/39) and Mitchell Starc (2/62) picked up key wickets.

In reply, Australia recovered from early setbacks with Matt Short scoring 74 off 78 balls and Cooper Connolly remaining unbeaten on 61 off 53. Mitchell Owen added 36 off 23 to guide the hosts to victory. For India, Washington Sundar (2/37), Arshdeep Singh (2/41), and Harshit Rana (2/59) bowled well.

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