Virat Kohli recently took part in an intra-squad practice match with Team India at the WACA in Perth, as the team intensifies preparations for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 Test series against Australia. All Test squad members and India A players in Australia participated in the match simulation.
Kohli made a promising start in his first innings but was dismissed for 15, edging a delivery from Mukesh Kumar to second slip during the morning session. He returned in the afternoon to score 30, showcasing some elegant backfoot strokes.
The BCCI shared a clip from the practice session on social media, and Kohli’s fans quickly cropped it into a highlights reel, which soon went viral online.
You can watch the video here:
Glimpses of Virat Kohli batting from Practice Match 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DaS86TqQkW
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) November 16, 2024
“His judgment of length hasn’t been ideal”- Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli’s recent Test batting struggles
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar recently analyzed Virat Kohli’s Test batting struggles, highlighting his issues with judging length. Manjrekar noted that Kohli was once an exceptional backfoot player, which made him one of India’s top performers against spin. He shared his views on the Sydney Morning Herald:
“His judgment of length, whether it’s spin or pace, has gone down. It’s not as great as it used to be. That comes back to him. He was one of India’s best players of spin, and played a lot off the back foot.”
“Now there’s a lot of front-foot play in everything he does, so his perception of length has not been great. That’s a reason he doesn’t have the kind of numbers he’s had in the past.”
He further continued:
“Once he’s on the front foot, the balls he used to cut and pull off the back foot he was defending. He’s just made his own life more difficult. Clearly, in that series (New Zealand), because the conditions were such [that] he wasn’t feeling confident or hopeful, he wasn’t trusting his defense, he was slightly nervous of mind and uncertain.”
Sanjay Manjrekar believes Kohli could regain his form in Australian conditions, as the pitches there offer better pace and bounce compared to those in India.
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