NEW DELHI: Australia batter Matthew Short believes his team’s pacers will continue to target Virat Kohli outside off stump when India face Australia in the second ODI on Thursday. Kohli, dismissed for a duck in the series opener in Perth, will be eager to bounce back at the Adelaide Oval, his most successful overseas venue with five international centuries and an average of 65 across formats.“I’m not in the fast-bowling meetings, but that seems to be the way he has been getting out recently,” Short told reporters.“Some of the guys like ‘Hoff’ (Josh Hazlewood) and ‘Starcy’ (Mitchell Starc), they have bowled a lot against him, they know what they’re doing. In Perth they sort of let the conditions do all the work, a bit of swing and nip on the wicket, so I’m sure they’ll do the same again.”India enjoyed overwhelming support from a 42,423-strong crowd at the Optus Stadium during the first ODI, most of whom had come to see Rohit Sharma and Kohli return to action after more than seven months. Having retired from Tests and T20Is, the former captains returned to the ODI squad for the first time since winning the Champions Trophy on March 9.“When Rohit or (Shubman) Gill got out the other day (in Perth), and then Kohli came on, just the cheer when he was walking on — you’d feel pretty bad as the batter walking off. It’s just an amazing experience,” Short added.Both Rohit and Kohli looked rusty, scoring 8 and 0 respectively, as Australia’s stand-in skipper Mitchell Marsh led from the front with an unbeaten 46 to secure a seven-wicket win in the rain-affected match. India now trail the series 0-1, making Thursday’s Adelaide ODI a must-win to stay alive — and possibly the duo’s final outing in Australia.“But it’s going to be a cool way for him to go out, especially with so many fans here in Australia,” Short said.“It’s pretty cool to share the field with such a legend of the sport. I’ll definitely get the chance to have a chat to him at some stage throughout the series.”For Short, this white-ball series also serves as preparation for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. The right-hander has faced injuries and fluctuating roles, from No.8 on debut to No.3 in the current series, and is still searching for form.“It’s always going to be tough to get a spot in the XI and I’ll sort of take whatever that is, whether it’s opening, batting at three or wherever. It’s just (about) staying flexible and trying to bat wherever you’re put and be able to take that,” he said.Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis has been ruled out of the ODI series due to a calf injury but hopes to return for the T20Is starting October 29 in Canberra. The final ODI will be played in Sydney on Saturday.
