Subhayan Chakraborty in Bengaluru
Virat Kohli will return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as Team India face New Zealand in the first of a three-Test series, starting on Wednesday. With one eye on the upcoming tour of Australia in November, Team India aim to overcome the Black Caps, who are reeling from a disastrous two-Test series against Sri Lanka. However, the spotlight will be on Kohli, whom Bengaluru has embraced as one of its own. Despite not winning an IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he remains one of the city’s biggest draws.
It has been over a year since Kohli last scored a century in Test cricket, his most recent being against West Indies at Port of Spain. In the eight innings since, he managed only one half-century—a gritty 76 against South Africa on a challenging Centurion pitch. Fans at the stadium will hope that Kohli can replicate his debut performance at this venue, where he scored a match-winning 103 and an unbeaten 51 against New Zealand in 2012. However, Kohli’s subsequent appearances here have been less successful, with scores of 12 and 15 against Australia in 2017, and 23 and 13 against Sri Lanka in 2022, each time getting out LBW.
On Monday, amid looming clouds, Kohli was at his focussed best during Team India’s practice session. Initially, he spent quality time facing pacers and net bowlers. Later, he shifted to face left-arm spinners and off-spinners, possibly preparing for New Zealand’s tweakers like Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, and Michael Bracewell. His footwork was particularly noticeable, focusing on gentle strokes rather than forceful hits, with the occasional sweep and cut, but primarily playing in the ‘V’.
Post-net session, Kohli moved to another area to face throwdowns from specialists like Abhishek Nayar, Nuwan, Dayanand Garani, and Raghu. He nearly perfected each shot, though occasional errors prompted visible frustration. Ultimately, Kohli’s net session lasted about an hour, as he aimed to return to form on his adopted home turf. Post his nets, Kohli was seen engaging in lengthy chats with local net bowlers and aspiring cricketers, helping them with insights on batting.
Other players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav also had substantial practice sessions. Notably, Ashwin had an extended session with bowling coach Morne Morkel, focussing on refining his leg spin, particularly his wrist position and body posture. Rishabh Pant, after his batting practice, engaged in a lengthy wicket-keeping drill with fielding coach T Dilip.
Red Soil, Sporting Track on Offer
The Chinnaswamy pitch will be red soil, expected to offer something for all—batters, pacers, and spinners. Initially favouring pacers, it should transition to aid batting and then spinners as the match progresses, local sources told RevSportz. Given the rain prediction on all five days of the Test, India are likely to field Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep, mirroring their Kanpur Test lineup against Bangladesh.
On Monday, while New Zealand practiced indoors due to morning rain, India’s players trained as the pitch was being prepared. The pitch was trimmed, firmly rolled on with a light roller, and head coach Gautam Gambhir, celebrating his birthday, along with Ashwin, discussed the pitch conditions with the curator. Local insights suggest that with application, significant runs are possible on this track.
For all updates:
5@5 LIVE: Kolkata Derby | HIL Auction | IND NZ | All Updates https://t.co/1CIWc1xfOX
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) October 14, 2024
For more sports content: https://revsportz.in/