Former India player Parthiv Patel has noted that it is difficult to judge Virat Kohli’s form as the batter hasn’t spent enough time in the middle. He highlighted that scoring runs in international cricket is challenging without adequate match practice.
Kohli was dismissed for a four-ball duck as India set a target of 265 runs in the second ODI against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday, October 23. The hosts registered a two-wicket win with 22 deliveries to spare, securing the series 2-0 ahead of the final game in Sydney on Saturday, October 25.
During an interaction on the Star Sports show *Follow the Blues*, Parthiv was asked whether Kohli’s second successive duck could be attributed to a mental or technical issue.
“If a batter spends time in the middle, then you try to see if he is in form or not, and if there is any technical fault or not. However, if he hasn’t spent that much time, you can’t say what form he is going through,” the former India wicketkeeper-batter responded.
“One thing is clear. All of us have been talking about it—that if match practice is not there, it’s not easy to score runs in international cricket. We don’t need to tell anyone that Virat is a great player, we know his numbers, but match practice is a massive factor when you come to play international cricket or any level of cricket,” he added.
Prior to the ODIs against Australia, Virat Kohli last played for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final on March 9. The former India skipper hadn’t played a competitive game since the IPL 2025 final on June 3.
### “You Don’t Need Motivation” – Parthiv Patel on Virat Kohli Ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI
In the same interaction, Parthiv was asked if Kohli needs to draw motivation from somewhere to get back to his vintage best in the third ODI against Australia.
“We all hope that he bats like that, and we have seen that kind of batting many times as well from Virat, but unfortunately, it’s not happening currently. You don’t need motivation and Virat Kohli is that kind of person,” he replied.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the modern batting great would be in search of one good knock that could change the tide.
“When he wears the Indian jersey, he knows he has to perform well. I don’t think he needs to search for something from outside. As coaches or former players, we always say that you need one inning to click and then everything changes. Virat will be in search of that one inning,” Parthiv observed.
### Match Recap
Virat Kohli was caught plumb in front of the wickets by a Xavier Bartlett delivery in the second ODI against Australia. His dismissal reduced India to 17/2 after 6.5 overs. Following this, Rohit Sharma (73 off 97) and Shreyas Iyer (61 off 77) added 118 runs for the third wicket, helping the visitors post a competitive total.
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