Virat Kohli’s has barely managed to last 15 minutes and 12 balls without scoring in the first two ODIs of the current series.

He was trapped plumb in front as he tried to flick an inswinging delivery from Xavier Bartlett in Adelaide on Thursday. He had been dismissed caught at backward point off Mitchell Starc during the opener in Perth.

Kohli’s twin ducks have now fueled speculation that the final ODI in Sydney could be his last international match. The former India captain has already quit T20I and Test cricket.

This was the first time in his international career that Kohli has been dismissed for ducks in two consecutive innings. He is yet to add to his tally of 14,181 ODI runs since returning from his seven-month break.

Given Kohli’s Bradman-esque record in Adelaide, it was expected that he would show glimpses of his old self, but the former India captain lasted just four balls. He was careful not to be drawn into deliveries outside the off stump and left the first three balls, but missed the fourth, which jagged back sharply after pitching.

As a distraught Kohli walked back, he noticed Indian fans giving him a standing ovation and raised his gloves in acknowledgement near the boundary ropes. The reaction led to talk that he was ready to throw in the towel.

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s cryptic three-word post at the end of the match left social media abuzz with various theories surrounding Kohli’s imminent retirement.

Borrowing sportswear brand Nike’s logo and tagline ‘Just do it’, Ashwin wrote ‘Just leave it’ with the logo painted with the India Tricolour.

Ashwin is yet to make a comment on what the tweet really meant, but followers of the game have already started linking it to Kohli.

With a prolific run-getter like Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings, neither Kohli nor Rohit Sharma’s place is guaranteed in the squad. Rohit, though, managed a scratchy 73 off 97 balls on Thursday after surviving a tricky opening spell from Starc and Bartlett.

Kohli has already hinted that he is looking forward to the 2027 World Cup.

“I’m feeling as fit, if not fitter, than I’ve ever been before...” he had said in Perth. “At this stage, I realised that if my body is fit, if my reflexes are there, then the game awareness is already there... I live my life like that and, yeah, no issues at all. I’m feeling fresh here... and moving really well in the nets...”

Selection committee chair Ajit Agarkar has already said that it would be silly to put Kohli and Rohit on trial.

“It will be silly to put them on trial for every game. Once they start playing, they will be assessed, but they are not on trial,” Agarkar said ahead of the series.