'He’ll have to get some form pretty quickly...': Ravi Shastri gives World Cup warning as Virat Kohli got out on two successive ducks in ODIs against Australia

Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri warned batting great Virat Kohli after he got out on two successive ducks in the first two ODIs of a three-match ODI series against Australia. Notably, Team India are currently in a transitional state, and their move to appoint Shubman Gill Rohit Sharma's sucessor as India's ODI captain sparked speculations about the senior batting duo's future till the ODI World Cup 2027.

Shastri, who was India's head coach when Kohli-led side registered the first-ever historic Test series win on Australian soil, told Fox Sports that the next edition of the ODI World Cup was a “long way off” for Kohli.

“He’ll have to get some form pretty quickly,” Shastri said. "The competition for places is such in India in white-ball cricket, no one is going to relax, whether it’s Virat or Rohit or anyone in the team."

Times have changed significantly over the last seven months in Indian cricket, which has been undergoing a transition phase. And with an abundance of options to choose from, no single player is a certainty across formats anymore, not even the legendary Kohli. In the ODI set-up, he already has the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Verma and Abhishek Sharma breathing down his neck.

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Shastri on Kohli's two ducks

Kohli got out on two sucessive ducks for the first time in the these two matches of the three-match ODI series against Australia at Perth and Adelaide, respectively.

“It’s not going to be easy; there is competition," Shastri added. “He’s missed out again today; he was a little tentative with his footwork.

“It doesn’t happen often; his record in one-day cricket is phenomenal, so for him to get two ducks on the trot, he’ll be disappointed" Shastri said.

India vs Australia ODIs

Coming back to the India vs Australia ODI series, Australia defeated India in two ODIs of the three-match series by seven and two wickets respectively to take an unassailable 2-0 lead against India in the three-match series. The third ODI between India and Australia is scheduled to take place on October 25, 2025, at Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. Kohli will surely look to score some runs in the third ODI.