"I hope it doesn't affect Kohli" - Former all-rounder's huge remark as Team India legend faces scrutiny amid AUS vs IND 2025 ODI series

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his surprise at Virat Kohli's struggles in the first two ODIs of the series against Australia, claiming that such instances are rare. Pathan also hopes that the negativity on social media doesn't affect the star cricketer and that he returns to form.

The 36-year-old bagged consecutive ducks for the first time in what has been a decorated ODI career. The first game in Perth saw the veteran chase a ball wide outside the off stump and edge it to backward point as Mitchell Starc dismissed him. Right-arm seamer Xavier Bartlett trapped him in front in Adelaide, as Kohli walked away without troubling the scores on both occasions.

Speaking in a recent video on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan underlined that there could be several reasons for the former captain's struggles, but urged the fans to persist with him amid his rough patch. He said (5:36):

"2 matches, two ducks - we haven't seen this. It doesn't happen too often. This can be pressure, rustiness or anything. All these things are going on social media, the atmosphere is being created. We have to be careful that these two players are not being affected by the atmosphere. If performance is not there, they won't play."

He added:

"But Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have done amazing things. So, it's important to persist with them if they are struggling. It's difficult because Yashasvi Jaiswal is on the bench. But if there's a sword hanging above your head, it's not easy to play. I hope it doesn't affect Kohli."

"He got out in the off-stump in the first match. In the second match, he had it in the back of the mind that three slips were there. He would have been thinking whether the ball will come onto the off-stump. The ball slightly came back and he went to his favourite shot but got beaten. It was a big gap and you don't see such a big one in Kohli's flick shot," Pathan elaborated.

The Delhi-born cricketer thanked the crowd in Adelaide as he was walking back to the pavilion by raising his gloves. While the gesture sparked retirement speculation, it could be because it was Kohli's last match in Adelaide.

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"Once he spends time, runs will come and he won't look back" - Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli

Irfan Pathan. (Image Credits: Getty)

In the same video, Pathan urged the Indian legend to stop being desperate to take a single and enjoy his batting. He said (7:00):

"How can he come out of this? He wants to take a single quickly and get off strike. When there are two ducks against your name, you want a run. But he has to ensure to not get desperate. He shouldn't enjoy batting in the course of getting desperate. He needs to keep enjoying batting. Once he spends time, runs will come and he won't look back. He likes one-day cricket the most."

Pathan added that it's okay for Kohli to struggle in his innings in a bid to regain his rhythm, similar to Rohit Sharma. He said (7:45):

"But I request the fans that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - they might play for 1 year, 2 years, or play the World Cup. We might not see them play a lot. The expectation is they play as much cricket as possible. But this is the time to enjoy their cricket because they have given Indian cricket so much. The hope is for Kohli to return to form in the next match. Even if he struggles like Rohit Sharma did, but he needs to show his rhythm he has got. But don't get desperate for singles, runs will come."

Rohit top-scored for India with 73 to take the team to a competitive total of 264, but it wasn't enough as Australia won by two wickets.