After a two-ball duck in the third and final game of the series against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, former India captain Virat Kohli struck a new low in ODI cricket in almost a decade.
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Kohli was strangled down the leg side as he attempted to flick Alzarri Joseph’s delivery past the wicketkeeper, but it got a small tickle and landed right into Shai Hope’s hands. Kohli walked back with an awkward smile on his face after India lost two wickets in three deliveries, both to Joseph.
Kohli scored just 26 runs in the West Indies ODI series after being dismissed, with scores of 8 off 4 and 18 off 30 in the first two games. It’s the second-lowest total he’s ever had in a three-match bilateral ODI series, and the first since a home series against Pakistan in 2012/13, when he only got 13 runs in three innings at a 4.33 average.
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This was also his lowest score against the West Indies, who remain one of his favourite opponents in the format, and only his second ODI series against the Caribbean nation in which he failed to reach the half-century mark.
His 15th duck in the format came with the dismissal. Among India’s top-order hitters (1-7) with the most ODI ducks, he has now surpassed former cricketer Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina. He is presently ranked fourth on the list of unwanted cricketers, behind Sachin Tendulkar (20), Yuvraj Singh (18), and Sourav Ganguly (16).
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A total of 15 ducks is the most by an Indian No. 3 batter in ODIs. Kohli is now one behind Ricky Ponting’s unfavourable greatest tally of 16.
In the final match, India won the toss and elected to bat first, however both captain Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli were dismissed in the fourth over.
India is aiming for a series sweep after winning the previous two games by 6 wickets and 44 runs at the same venue earlier this week.