Form is just a word for him: Arshdeep Singh backs Virat Kohli to fire in Australia after duck in 1st ODI

Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh hailed ODI master Virat Kohli and backed his senior teammate to get back among the runs in the remainder of the ODI series against Australia after he was dismissed for a duck in the first ODI in Perth on Sunday. Kohli failed to open his account on his much-awaited international comeback as he was sent packing on an 8-ball duck by Mitchell Starc.

India lost the rain-affected first ODI by seven wickets after Australia comfortably chased down the revised target of 131 runs in the 26-overs-a-side contest. Kohli endured a disappointing outing in the game as he once again got out chasing an outside off delivery. He went for a drive on a wide delivery from Starc and was caught by Cooper Connolly at point.

Despite his failure in the first game, Arshdeep is confident that Kohli, who is one of the best batters of the present era, will find his groove soon and make the most of the ODI series against Australia. The pacer said form is just a word for Kohli, who is a legend of the game and has already proved himself as one of the best batters of all time in ODIs.

"Form is just a word for him. He has played more than 300 ODIs for India. He knows how to get going,” Arshdeep said. "It’s a blessing to share the dressing room with him. Going forward in the series, I feel there will be a lot of runs for him. Talking about this format, he has mastered it. I don’t know how he feels about it personally, maybe I will ask him and let you know at the next press conference," said Arshdeep in the post-match presser after India's 7-wicket defeat.

While Arshdeep remains confident of Kohli finding his rhythm soon, despite not having played international cricket for the last seven months, the senior India batter will be wary of his outside-off issues in Australia. Kohli, who was consistently troubled by wide deliveries during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, faced similar problems during the first ODI in Perth on Sunday.

While Kohli will be looking to get back among the runs, India will aim to bounce back to winning ways in the 2nd ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Thursday, October 23. Australia are currently leading the three-match series 1-0 after ending India's streak of 8 successive wins in ODIs in 2025.

All eyes will once again be on the senior duo of Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the second ODI.  Rohit too flopped on his return for India after seven months, as he could only manage 8 runs in the first ODI against Australia in Perth. Both batters are facing uncertainty over their future for India in international cricket and will be hoping to make the most of the remaining two matches in the series.