Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has stated that Virat Kohli’s gesture to the crowd in Adelaide after his dismissal for a duck in the second ODI between Australia and India on October 23, 2025, was nothing, and the veteran India batter has a lot of cricket left.

After leaving the Adelaide Oval, Kohli had lifted his gloves to accept the standing ovation from the spectators. Even though it seemed like a moving moment after what would have been his last international innings at one of his favorite stadiums, rumors circulated online about whether Kohli was implying that he was planning to retire.

“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. 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,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.

After an 8-ball duck in the first ODI in Perth, Virat Kohli fell LBW to Xavier Bartlett in the second ODI for a 4-ball duck. This was the first time in his ODI career that Kohli fell for consecutive ducks.

He saw Indian fans applauding him as he got closer to the stands and lifted his gloves in recognition, which sparked a lot of rumors. Gavaskar explained that the ovation Kohli received was truly heartwarming.

“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, recognizing what he's done for the game. 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,” Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar also stated that Kohli might aim to retire on a high, probably playing the 2027 World Cup, along with Rohit Sharma.

“Virat Kohli is not the type of player to give up after two ducks. He will aim to retire on a high, playing in Sydney, followed by the ODI series in South Africa, and then the 2027 World Cup alongside Rohit. Even the Australians would have been disappointed—they didn't get to see a big score from Virat Kohli. I think he was simply acknowledging the crowd with his gloves. Normally, when you get a big score, you acknowledge it with your bat raised or your helmet or cap off. But this was just his way of thanking the crowd for the reception and the ovation they gave him. Don't read too much into it,” Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar also explained the technical challenges Kohli faces when adjusting to Australian pitches.

“I think any batter brought up on Indian pitches and then playing in Australia—or sometimes even in South Africa—will naturally take a little more time to adjust, because the pitches there have extra bounce. That's exactly what we saw with Kohli in those initial deliveries. He was just getting used to the bounce,” he signed off.

The third and final ODI will be played in Sydney on October 25.