Virat Kohli, the prominent Indian cricketer, landed in Chennai on Friday, September 13, in preparation for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh. The former captain has started practising with the team ahead of the matches. A video shared by one of Kohli’s fan clubs on the social media platform X on Monday, September 16, shows the experienced player leaving the team hotel and heading to practice in the team bus.
Kohli is making his return to Test cricket after a nine-month hiatus, with his last appearance in the format occurring in January against South Africa. He was absent from India’s recent five-match Test series against England due to personal reasons. Kohli has amassed 26,942 runs from 591 international innings and is only 58 runs away from reaching the 27,000-run milestone across all formats.
He is the fastest cricketer to achieve 27,000 runs in international cricket, having reached this mark in just 623 innings, putting him in a strong position to potentially surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Kohli travelled from London to Chennai for the series opener against Bangladesh, coinciding with actress Raadhika Sarathkumar’s flight. Sarathkumar, who was on the same flight, took to X to share her excitement about meeting Kohli. She wished him well for the Chennai Test and thanked him for the selfie they took together.
Virat Kohli At The Team Hotel When He Was Leaving For Practice. 👑♥️#ViratKohli #INDvBAN @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/Q5y7P0cnMI
— virat_kohli_18_club (@KohliSensation) September 16, 2024
Team India Gears Up for Bangladesh Series with Intense Practice Sessions
As expected, Virat Kohli was among the first to start practising in the nets. Left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal soon joined him, with both batters facing deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah and local star Ravichandran Ashwin. The next group of batters included captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Sarfaraz Khan, who arrived in Chennai after participating in the Duleep Trophy’s second round in Anantapur. Rohit concentrated on handling spin bowling, preparing for Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack, as reported by PTI.
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj were also part of the session, taking on local bowlers and doing extensive throwdown drills. The practice pitches had a good bounce, offering valuable preparation. India has two more practice sessions before the first Test against Bangladesh, a team arriving with momentum following their 2-0 series victory against Pakistan.
The first Test of the series between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to start at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, September 19.
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