R Ashwin’s cryptic post after Kohli’s duck in Adelaide sparks fan theories as India trail 0–2 in Australia ODI series. Photo: X.
Ravichandran Ashwin has set social media abuzz with a cryptic post that many fans believe was aimed at Virat Kohli. The speculation followed Kohli’s disappointing performance in the Adelaide ODI against Australia, where he was dismissed for a four-ball duck. In the series opener he lost his wicket with scoring any runs.
Following the the Adelaide match, Ashwin shared a cryptic image online, a modified version of the Nike logo. The familiar “Just Do It” slogan was altered, to ‘Just Leave It’ and the Nike tick was stylized with the Indian tricolour.
While the post immediately caught the attention of fans, its meaning remained unclear. Supporters flooded the comments with theories, but Ashwin provided no explanation, leaving everyone guessing.
The only bright spot for Indian fans came from Rohit Sharma, who rediscovered his form with a 73 off 93 balls. His knock helped India post a total of 264 for 9.
Despite his effort, India’s much-anticipated ODI series against Australia has turned into a disappointment. The Men in Blue lost both opening matches, handing the hosts an 2–0 lead in the three-match series.
In the second ODI, Shubman Gill-led India went down by two wickets after suffering a seven-wicket defeat in the opener at Perth. Fielding lapses proved costly for India, with three dropped catches, including one of Matthew Short, who went on to score a match-defining 74 off 78 balls.
This series had drawn widespread attention as both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international action after a seven-month hiatus. However, Kohli is yet to make a mark, having scored a duck in the latest match, while Rohit has managed scores of 8 and 73 in the two games so far.
Reflecting on India’s performance, Gill admitted that missed chances hurt their chances of defending the total.
“We had just enough runs on the board. Never easy when you drop a couple of chances to be able to defend that kind of a total,” Gill said during the post-match presentation.
He also noted the difference in conditions between the two games.
“In the first game, the toss was more crucial because of the rain, but in this one both teams played for almost 50 overs. The wicket did a little early on, but it settled nicely after 15–20 overs,” he added.
India will look to end the series on a positive note when they face Australia in the final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Urged To Walk Off By Rohit Sharma! Are We Watching The End Of Virat Kohli’s Career?
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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