Virat Kohli is not only trending in India but also an emotion among the people of the country. Despite his poor form, he is always in the hearts of the Indian people and always receives huge applause wherever he goes.
A video has gone viral on social media showing how much Kohli is respected across the country. Just ahead of the second Test between India and Bangladesh at Green Park, Kanpur, the legendary batsman came to the ground with bat in hand for a final practice session before the start of the match.
Ground crew members were removing the covers after the morning rain. However, one of the staff members tried to touch Virat Kohli’s feet while the other members looked on. As Kohli continued on his way, the staff were quickly distracted by another groundsman.
Watch – Kanpur ground staff touch Virat Kohli’s feet before the match
GroundStaff Member Touched @imVkohliFeet When Landing. 🙇❤️#ViratKohli #INDvBAN #INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/Pib2ADsvTc
— virat_kohli_18_club (@KohliSensation) September 27, 2024
The Kanpur Test is a very important match for Virat Kohli as he looks for some runs here. Kohli’s form in Test cricket has not been great of late. Before the Chennai Test, he last played a Test against South Africa earlier this year.
He missed the home Test series against England due to personal reasons. It has been over a year since Kohli scored a Test hundred. His last Test century came against the West Indies in Port of Spain in July 2023, when he scored 121 in the first innings of a Test.
Virat Kohli’s latest form
In the last test match in Chennai, Virat Kohli registered scores of 6 and 17 in both the innings. He was dismissed by fast bowler Hasan Mahmood in the first Test, while off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped him in front in the second innings.
Meanwhile, India won the toss and elected to field first in Kanpur. Overcast conditions in the city prompted Rohit Sharma to opt to bowl first. Surprisingly, India has remained unchanged from the first Test, meaning the combination of three seamers and two spinners continues.
Rohit Sharma said during the toss that the pitch was soft and he wanted to allow the bowlers to take full advantage of the overcast conditions. The new bowlers batted well and came through with the bat on numerous occasions despite the results not going their way.
Akash Deep Rocks Bangladesh
However, first change player Akash Deep did the trick for India as he picked up two wickets. Both Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam, the young Bangladesh openers, were dismissed cheaply.
Looking at the black clay pitch, the Indian team was expected to bring a spinner in the Playing XI instead of one of the fast bowlers. Both Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were in contention to play, but Rohit Sharma eventually decided to go with the same team.
