"Keep your expectations slightly watered down" - Former opener's massive take on Virat Kohli ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs

Former India player Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Virat Kohli would be expected to be at his best in the upcoming ODI series against Australia. However, he urged fans to keep their expectations slightly lower, especially in the series opener.

India will face Australia in a three-match ODI series, with the first game to be played in Perth on Sunday, October 19. Kohli, who hasn't played for the Men in Blue since the 2025 Champions Trophy, is part of the visitors' 15-member squad.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about the expectations from Kohli in his return to India colors.

"When you talk about any player of this stature, they have set the expectations. It's their standards. He has made us used to seeing him scoring runs whenever he comes. We are discussing the long wait and gap, but you assume Virat Kohli will score a century the day he comes out with a bat in hand. If he scores 40, it can be success for others, but it's a failure for him," the former India opener responded.

"This is the standard he has set. He pays a price for his own success. He has achieved so much success and spread happiness. So, the expectation is that he will play with the same rhythm. However, since we follow cricket slightly closely, we say keep your expectations slightly watered down, at least for the first game," he added.

Virat Kohli hasn't played a competitive game since the IPL 2025 final on June 3. He has retired from Tests and T20Is and is playing only the longer white-ball format internationally.

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"This is happening for the first time even in his career" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's long break from cricket

Virat Kohli was one of India's star performers in the 2025 Champions Trophy. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Virat Kohli would have rarely had such a long break from competitive cricket during his career.

"If you don't hit the ground running and the ball doesn't strike the middle of your bat after three months, that is also par for the course, because this is happening for the first time even in his career, that he hasn't played any cricket for three to three-and-a-half months," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that most players took time to regain their rhythm when they returned after a long break during the COVID days.

"The last time it might have happened during COVID, four or five years ago, and it is happening now again. We all saw everyone's bats being rusted after COVID, and we saw everyone taking time to regain their rhythm. So, if it takes a little time to find rhythm, it's okay. Slightly watered-down expectations are also okay," Chopra observed.

Virat Kohli has amassed 2,451 runs at an average of 54.46 in 50 ODIs against Australia. He has aggregated 1,327 runs at a slightly lower average of 51.03 in 29 ODIs on Australian soil.