The second ODI between India and Australia will take place at Adelaide on Thursday and is set to be a battle between Travis Head and Virat Kohli, two of their respective nations’ most prolific superstars at this venue.
In four ODIs at Adelaide, Head has scored 301 runs at an average of 75.25 and a strike rate of 97.72, with a century and two fifties. His best score is 128 at the venue.
In all of international cricket, Head has been just as stunning at Adelaide, with 967 runs in 13 matches and 15 innings at an average of 69.07, with four centuries and four fifties and a best score of 175. For this explosive southpaw, his fondest memory at Adelaide would be a knock of 128 against Pakistan in 2017, his maiden international century.
On the other hand, Virat has been fine at Adelaide in ODIs, with 244 runs in four innings at an average of 61.00, with two centuries and best score of 107. Both of his centuries have been historic, one being against Pakistan in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, making him the first Indian to crack a WC ton against the arch-rivals.
In the other one, which came four years later, he helped India level the three-match ODI series, and eventually, India secured their first ODI series win in Australia. At Adelaide Oval, he is India’s highest run-getter of all time, with 975 runs in 12 matches and 17 innings at an average of 65.00, five centuries and four fifties, and a best score of 141. Notably, he is also the best visiting batter of all time at this venue, and it is his home away from home. Be it his first Test century amidst huge criticism during his first tour to Australia, twin Test tons, including a fine 141 while attempting to chase 364 against Australia in his first-match as Test captain, Virat has posted many career-defining statements at Adelaide.
Their last outing in Adelaide was the pink-ball Test at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year. While Head slammed a brilliant 140 to give India nightmares again, Virat’s outside-off-stump demons started to haunt him strongly once again, as he could not cross even 20 in either of his innings, and his slump sent him into Test retirement.
Who will walk out of this mini-battle at Adelaide on victorious side?
