The second ODI of the ongoing India tour of Australia 2025 will be played at the Adelaide Oval on October 23, with both teams eyeing momentum after contrasting results in Perth. Australia dominated the series opener, winning by seven wickets through the DLS method as India’s batting faltered once again, raising concerns about the form of their senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. As the action shifts to the batting-friendly conditions of Adelaide, Indian fans hope their captain will finally break his jinx at this historic ground.
Rohit Sharma’s Adelaide struggle over the years
Despite being one of the greatest ODI batters of his era, Rohit’s record at Adelaide Oval remains unexpectedly poor. Over six innings played at this venue, Rohit has scored only 147 runs, with a highest score of 43 against Australia in January 2019. Remarkably, he has never scored a fifty or a hundred here across all appearances. His scores at the venue read 12, 24, 33, 15, 15 and 43, underlining a streak of underwhelming returns despite appearing on batting surfaces generally favoring stroke play. His overall average at Adelaide stands at a modest 24.5 with a strike rate hovering around 60, well below his career average of over 48.
Rohit’s dismissals have often followed a similar pattern, caught behind or at the boundary while attempting aggressive drives early in his innings. In 2008, he managed just 12 and 24 in consecutive games during the tri-series. Later in 2012, he again failed to convert starts, recording 33 and 15 in two matches. Even during India’s 2015 World Cup clash against Pakistan, played under bright conditions, he managed only 15 before being dismissed by a short delivery. His best knock at the venue came in 2019 when he scored 43 off 52 balls against Australia, showcasing some authority but once again falling before a fifty. This sequence of modest contributions makes Adelaide one of his least successful Australian venues, a statistic he will be desperate to overturn in the upcoming clash.
Experienced pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit under pressure
Rohit and Virat Kohli both find themselves under increasing pressure following failures in the first ODI at Perth. Rohit managed just eight runs before edging Josh Hazlewood to slip, while Kohli was dismissed for a duck after struggling to find rhythm early in his innings. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar remarked that the duo appeared rusty due to limited game time and that the extra bounce at Perth exposed their timing issues. Kohli’s last ODI half-century came in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, and Rohit too hasn’t converted his starts recently, leaving India with top-order instability.
At Adelaide Oval, where the surface assists fluent stroke play and moderate bounce, both senior batters will look to redeem themselves. The team management’s faith in experience remains strong, and fans expect this match to be their statement of comeback. For Rohit, in particular, breaking his Adelaide drought could rejuvenate his ODI rhythm and quell mounting scrutiny. For Kohli, who has historically averaged above 70 at this venue, this could be the perfect opportunity to lead India’s batting recovery and keep the three-match series alive. With both icons aware of the weight of expectations, Adelaide on Thursday could either signal resurgence or deepen India’s concerns about their senior line-up.
