Indian star cricketer Virat Kohli has had a tough outing with the bat during the ongoing three-match Test series against New Zealand at home. Kohli was even bothered by the net player as the right-handed batsman failed to touch the ball during practice and the video went viral on social media.
The 35-year-old is going through a tough phase in his Test cricket career. He scored 93 runs in 6 innings at an average of 15.50. He had just one half-century during the series, which came in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test. Notably, he scored 99 runs in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
Watch: Virat Kohli Troubled by Local Bowler in Nets
In a recent training session in Mumbai, Kohli was seen practicing in the nets against the local bowlers, especially the left-arm spinners. The right-hander couldn’t even connect with the delivery from the local bowler. Kohli later praised the bowler for his impressive performance against him in the nets.
Here’s a video of Kohli practicing against net bowlers:
This young kid bowled a delivery that even Virat Kohli couldn’t connect with
Then he rated it!#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/I1k7W7czcx
— Vinesh Prabhu (@vlp1994) November 3, 2024
However, the Delhi-born cricketer turned in a disappointing performance in his third Test match. He scored just 4 runs in the first innings and just 1 run in the second innings where he was caught by Daryl Mitchell off the bowling of Ajaz Patel.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still not getting their rewards – Simon Doull
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull believes that Rohit Sharma and Kohli can still bounce back from their current struggles. However, Doull said it would be tough for them as they near the end of their careers. He emphasized that Sharma and Kohli are not lacking in commitment.
“The later you go in your career, the less successful you are, or the older you get, the less successful you are. If you find it very, very difficult mentally to get back into that position to go through the rigors of training, preparation,” Doull said while speaking on JioCinema.
“I don’t think either of those two guys left because of this, but they still don’t get their full reward. They’ve been there, done that in the game. Sure, they can come back and do it again, but it’s getting harder. and that’s something they should be willing to go through,” Doull added.
Virat Kohli has been included in the Indian squad for the Sarhad-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Virat Kohli will travel to Australia for the next five-match Test series, which will begin on November 22 in Perth. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 is crucial for the Men in Blue to qualify for the World Test Championship 2025 final to be played at Lord’s next June.
Also read: IPL Auction 2025: Lucknow Super Giants snub Rishabh Pant as they finalize KL Rahul’s replacement.
