"He's got two ducks" - Michael Clarke makes huge Virat Kohli prediction ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI

Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke has predicted that Virat Kohli will emerge as the leading run-scorer and Josh Hazlewood among the wickets in the final game of the series. The third ODI is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast on Friday, October 24, the 44-year-old noted that Australia will include both Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood in the XI, tipping the latter as the leading wicket-taker of the game. Meanwhile, he backed Kohli to score the most runs despite the 36-year-old’s poor form, having been dismissed for ducks in the first two games. Clarke said:

“I'm going to say they'll stick with Starc and Hazlewood, and I'll go with Joshy for leading wicket-taker in the game. I've gone with Virat so far; he's got two ducks. I'm going to go with Virat Kohli for leading run-scorer in this game. Hazlewood leading wickets, and Virat leading run-scorer.”

Clarke also expressed hope for an exciting contest, stating that India will win, which he believes will boost the Men in Blue’s confidence ahead of the T20I series. He added:

“And I'm going to say India win, so 2-1 India wins. I predicted 2-1 Australia, so I don't mind if India wins this game, one of my predictions, right? But yeah, look, I just hope it's a really good game of one-day cricket. India won't want to go home without a win, and like I say, you're leading into the T20s as well, so a lot of the players will go into that format wanting to take some confidence. I'm hoping it's a good game,” he added.

Meanwhile, Australia has already secured the series, holding a 2-0 lead heading into the Sydney game.

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A look at Virat Kohli’s ODI record at the SCG

Virat Kohli will be hoping to be among the runs in the final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, after being dismissed for ducks in consecutive games. However, the Delhi-born batter’s numbers at the SCG are not very convincing; in seven ODIs at the venue, he has scored just 146 runs at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 82.95, with only a solitary fifty.

Meanwhile, looking at his overall record in Australia, Kohli has featured in 31 ODIs, scoring 1,327 runs at an average of 47.39 and a strike rate of 88.34, including six fifties and five hundreds.