IND vs AUS: "Demons of BGT were back…"- Irfan Pathan over Virat Kohli's first duck in Australia in 50-over format during Perth ODI

Irfan Pathan hopes Virat Kohli does not struggle in the upcoming ODI games against Australia.

Following Virat Kohli’s poor outing with the bat in the first ODI between Australian Cricket Team and Indian Cricket Team at the Optus Stadium in Perth, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said it looked like the demons of Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 were back for him. Making his return to international cricket after seven months, Kohli was dismissed for a duck in the opening game against Australia.

It was the first time that Kohli lost his wicket without scoring a run in an ODI game in Australia. Batting at No.3, Kohli was dismissed by pacer Mitchell Starc for an eight-ball duck, after being caught with a thick outside edge. Hence, his struggle with far offside deliveries has continued in the ongoing series, something he also struggled with during BGT 2024-25.

During the campaign, the former India captain got out for a series of low scores across five games, losing wickets through outside edge multiple times. Except for one century, he failed to score even a half-century across other nine innings, crossing the 25-run mark only twice.

Eventually, he ended up with 190 runs during the campaign to witness a horrible batting show. Following a poor outing in the BGT, Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket a few months later in May 2025.

It looked like the demons of the BGT were back for Virat: Irfan Pathan

Speaking about India’s performance in the first ODI at Perth, cricketer-turned-commentator Pathan said Kohli’s demons from the BGT were back in the Perth ODI. However, he also hoped that Kohli should not face similar issues in the upcoming games.

“Fitness is one thing and game time is one thing. That is why Rohit looked a bit troubled. It looked like the demons of the BGT were back for Virat. I hope this is not the case in Adelaide and Sydney. KL Rahul batted well today. Shreyas Iyer got into an awkward position. Maybe he can work a bit more on his technique. Axar does well whenever he gets an opportunity to bat ahead,” he said.

Pathan also reiterated that the Shubman Gill & Co. should have arrived in Australia earlier to prepare for the white-ball series as it’s always better to play some games in advance during such tours.

“Whenever you tour such countries, it is always better to go early and play some games. It was going to be difficult for India. It was going to be a challenge as the conditions would not be easy. Our bowlers could not get the right lengths. The batters also had trouble with the bounce. If you had played a game or two, these mistakes would not have happened. It is important to think about these things going forward,” he added.

Meanwhile, Australia outplayed India by seven wickets in the opening ODI, chasing a DLS revised target of 131 runs. Mitchell Marsh set the platform for the team’s victory with his unbeaten 46 runs, after restricting the Men in Blue for 136/9 in the first innings. Both sides will now head to Adelaide for the next clash, which will take place at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23.

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