Aussie player talks about Kohli's weakness

• Kohli scores duck in return, Starc exploits off-stump weakness.
• Australia to continue targeting Kohli's outside off vulnerability.
• Short admires Kohli, relishing sharing the field with the legend.

Virat Kohli, playing in his first competitive match since the IPL 2025 final in June, recorded an eight-ball duck during the first ODI between India and Australia in Perth. In helpful conditions, Australia pacer

Mitchell Starc exploited a weakness that troubled the India batting superstar during the entirety of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy – chasing after deliveries bowled outside off and edging them consistently.

Kohli would be itching to bounce back in the second ODI, which will be held at his favourite hunting ground – Adelaide Oval – where he averages 65 across formats, having scored 975 runs in 12 matches that include five centuries and four fifties.

The Aussie bowlers will continue to stick to the line of attack that has been getting the better of Kohli in recent times, Matthew Short says.

“I’m not in the fast-bowling meetings, but that seems to be the way he has been getting out recently,” Short told reporters on Tuesday. “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,” he added.

Rivalry aside, Short is relishing the opportunity to play against Kohli, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest white-ball batters.

“It’s pretty cool to share the field with such a legend of the sport,” Short said. “I’ll definitely get the chance to have a chat to him at some stage throughout the series.”

Kohli is possibly touring Australia as a player for the final time in his career.

“When Rohit (Sharma) 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 said.