Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 8: In what could be a thrilling development for fans, legendary cricketer Virat Kohli appears to be gearing up for an ODI comeback, sharing a picture with coach Naeem Amin after a practice session. Amin, currently associated with IPL franchise Gujarat Titans as assistant coach, was seen with Kohli in a post shared by the batter on Instagram.

“Thanks for helping out with the hit brother. Always lovely to see you,” Kohli captioned the photo — sparking excitement about his possible return to international action.

Having retired from Tests and T20Is earlier this year, Kohli seems set to don the blue jersey once again as India prepares for a white-ball tour of Australia starting October 19. The Men in Blue are scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20Is, with the ODI series set to begin at Perth’s Optus Stadium, followed by games in Adelaide (Oct 23) and Sydney (Oct 25).

Kohli’s sudden retirement from Tests in May ahead of India’s tour of England had sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. He ended his illustrious red-ball career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. He was also India’s most successful Test captain, registering 40 wins in 68 matches.

However, his farewell in whites wasn’t a fairytale ending. He managed just 190 runs across nine innings during the Australia tour, with his final dismissal — edging to slip off Scott Boland — capturing the struggles of his final series.

But the ODI format could offer Kohli a fresh start. His record in Australia is stellar — 1,327 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 51.03, with five centuries. He was in fine form in this year’s ICC Champions Trophy as well, scoring 218 runs in five innings.

The 36-year-old has played seven ODIs this year, scoring 275 runs at 45.83, including a century and two half-centuries. His recent IPL campaign was a triumphant one too, as he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden title and finished as their top scorer with 657 runs.

In ODIs, Kohli has amassed 14,181 runs in 302 matches at a staggering average of 57.88, with 51 centuries — second only to Sachin Tendulkar. Across formats, he stands at 27,599 international runs, inching ever closer to the historic 28,000-run milestone.

With three more ODIs against South Africa lined up at home later this year, Kohli fans have plenty to cheer about — and they will be hoping the ‘King’ returns to form and rewrites records once again.