"You could see he had forgotten the 2 matches" - Irfan Pathan lauds Virat Kohli after AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI

Former India player Irfan Pathan has lauded Virat Kohli for his demeanour in the third ODI against Australia. He noted that the former India captain had forgotten his failures in the first two games and came into the final match with a positive mindset.

India bowled Australia out for 236 in the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday, October 25. Kohli scored an unbeaten 74 off 81 deliveries in the chase as the visitors achieved the target with nine wickets and 69 deliveries to spare.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan noted that Kohli was more energetic and involved himself in on-field discussions in the third ODI against Australia.

"Virat Kohli looked subdued before today, there is no doubt about that. When he was fielding, taking catches, and the way he was involved, it was clearly visible where Virat Kohli's mindset was. You could see he had forgotten the two matches. There was only a day's gap between the last failure, which was zero, and today's match. He didn't get the time to think," he said.

The former India all-rounder praised Kohli for concentrating on singles and doubles and playing percentage shots during his knock.

"You came into this game, and when you took a single on the first ball, everyone felt something different would happen today. The focus was on singles and doubles consistently, and he looked extremely comfortable. He consistently played percentage shots with control, and that's why we got to see an unbeaten knock," Pathan observed.

Virat Kohli struck seven fours during his unbeaten 74-run knock. He stitched an unbroken 168-run second-wicket partnership with Rohit Sharma (121* off 125) to take India to an easy win.

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"Many times, it takes time for the vehicle to start" - Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli scoring runs in AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI after twin failures

Virat Kohli hadn't played competitive cricket for four months before the Australia tour. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan was asked what Virat Kohli needs to do to retain his run-scoring form.

"It's simple, play matches and come, and he will play and come, he is that kind of a player. Why didn't he score runs in the first two matches? It's not like he no longer had the ability. Many times, it takes time for the vehicle to start. If you think you will always score runs, it won't happen," he responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that both Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to play matches, highlighting that just practising won't suffice.

"If you come again without playing matches, you might not score runs in the first two matches. So what's the road ahead? You saw that clearly today, the comfort you saw in Virat and Rohit's batting today. The pressure while playing a match, you get it in matches only and not in practice. No matter how much you prepare, it took them two matches," Pathan observed.

To conclude, Irfan Pathan noted that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are aware that they need to play one or two matches before the ODI series against South Africa. He reckoned that the duo might play domestic cricket to retain their form.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer