Virat Kohli‘s fiery competitive nature was fully demonstrated during IndiaThe first session of play at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Monday ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which starts at the same venue on Friday 22 November.
The incident took place during a unique training session organized by the Indian cricket team’s fielding coach T. Dilip to strengthen team bonding. Note that this drill is designed to practice relay throwing technique, helping coordination between fielders while instilling a sense of healthy competition.
Virat Kohli demands full effort from the players during on-field practice in Perth
In this fielding session, the players would stand in different fielding positions with the aim of making accurate shots to the stumps or the wicketkeeper. The coach who came to the field had already announced that the first player to hit the shot would win the point, creating a fierce competition between the players.
Also Read: Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah clash in practice session ahead of Perth Test
As training intensified, one of Virat Kohli’s teammates suggested taking it “easy”, asking him to tone down the physical tension during the first session of play at India’s Optus Stadium. But the former India captain, known for his high standards and relentless drive, did not agree to the proposal.
Even Kohli silenced his teammate with his sharp comments. In a brief exchange captured by the BCCI on Wednesday and shared on its official website, Virat Kohli responded: “Kyu karein? Arre maaro udhar” (Why us? We should throw more at them, insisting on maintaining intensity and accuracy while fielding. The player in the session “thoda easy rakh lo” when prompted (keep it a little easy).
T Dilip comes with a unique gaming experience for Team India
The moment underscored Kohli’s unwavering commitment to excellence and refusal to settle for anything less than a full effort, urging the Indian players to step outside their comfort zones in preparation for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Meanwhile, India’s practice session was split into two parts to improve fielding coordination instead of the traditional long toss drills. The drill started with a fielder throwing the ball to a fielder near the boundary, who then quickly collected it and aimed for the target.
Indian sports coach T Dilip initially urged the fast bowlers to participate as they are often deep and have strong throwing arms. Later, the rest of the players joined. Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli stood out in particular, displaying sharp shooting skills and impressing Dileep with his accurate shots.
The players really showed intensity: T Dilip
Dilip said in a BCCI video, “Drill is very simple. Whoever shoots first wins a point. What we wanted to do today was to want everyone to come together and approach the match in the way we want.
“That’s why today’s team drill was more about getting the boundary fielder back where he pitched the ball. So instead of one long throw, we wanted to do two straight throws. We put that in practice so the players know that. Whether it’s left or stand to the right so that they are in the right position and don’t waste time in turns.
He signed off by saying, “So the players on the boundary also know that there is another man waiting to put the ball into their hands with a bounce. After the session today, you can see that I am very happy.
“The players really showed intensity. So by now I understand the team and how they work. So I always do a little competition first so that after the warm-up they start having fun, laughing and coming together.”
Intensity and target 🎯 game 🔛 point 🙌
Describes Fielding Coach T Dilip #TeamIndiaField drill training in Perth 👌👌 – Author @RajalArhera
WATCH 🎥🔽 #AUSvIND
— BCCI (@BCCI) Nhevember 20, 2024
