Virat Kohli’s Mumbai Pitch Drill Revealed
Virat Kohli has become a legend in Indian cricket thanks to his exceptional talent and relentless dedication over the years. He pushes himself without hesitation and doesn’t allow obstacles stop him. Throughout his incredible career, Kohli’s unmatched spirit of competition has continuously inspired fans.
During the 2014 Test series against England, Virat Kohli’s batting performance was dreadful. In ten innings, he only scored 134 runs at an average of 13.40. That was probably the lowest point of his career. Because of his weak technique against the moving ball, the Delhi batsman was mainly eliminated by being caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slip cordon to balls hit at the fourth and fifth stump lines.
However, India’s mental toughness and never-say-die attitude helped him overcome the demons that afflicted him when he returned to England in 2018. This time, Virat Kohli amassed 593 runs at a 59.30 average over ten innings, scoring two hundreds and three fifties.
The legendary seamer failed to dismiss the Indian mainstay once, four years after Anderson had Virat Kohli’s number in 2014.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar claims that before to the 2018 England tour, Virat Kohli would rise early in Mumbai and bat in the nets to test himself against the moisture on the exposed pitch.
Bangar went on to say that once the sun had set and the ball had stopped moving, Virat Kohli would essentially pour water over the surface to replicate the circumstances he would face in England. Ajinkya Rahane would play with the miraculous batter for a few sessions.
“When you travel to England, the two most important aspects of the game are your ability to counter the swing and your ability to play the ball late.
Virat Kohli worked extremely hard in 2017 and 2018 to improve his poor performance on the 2014 trip. Our daily schedule was harsh; in order to chase the early dew, we would get at a Mumbai ground by 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning. Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Bangar stated,
“We wanted to start as early as possible so we could replicate English conditions, utilising the heavy morning atmosphere and the natural moisture on an uncovered pitch.”
We would physically pour more water onto the surface to keep the ball moving if the sun came out and the wicket’s moisture content began to decline. Ajinkya Rahane joined in for a few sessions, and Virat continued that exhausting drill. We were really successful in winning games over there because three or four of our main batsmen were able to hone their batting through such precise simulations,” he continued.
