It was a damp, wet, and gloomy morning at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Nothing was out of the ordinary or unexpected, to be honest, as the weather forecast was not good until October 17. The Indian team, Virat Kohli, in particular, was prepared for it. As steady drizzle kept the covers firmly on in the 30-yard circle, the Indian cricketers decided to use the indoor facilities to get warmed up.
Wearing a hoodie to protect himself from rain, a relaxed Virat Kohli was escorted by two groundstaff and KSCA officials to the indoor nets on Tuesday morning. The former India captain looked focused, carefully making his way through the rain.
Soon after visuals of Kohli, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were escorted to the indoor practice area. Kohli, Jaiswal and a few other Indian batters took throwdowns from India’s support staff for a couple of hours.
Fans present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium were delighted to see their local hero Virat Kohli. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru great was greeted with loud cheers even on a rainy morning.
Rain of varying intensity washed out the first session of the opening Test between India and New Zealand here on Wednesday.Even the toss, which was scheduled at 9 AM, could not take place as rain came down relentlessly over the city from morning.
Gautam Gambhir backs Virat Kohli
In 2024, Kohli has only featured in three Tests, but hasn’t got a fifty-plus score yet. In the Bangladesh series, Kohli registered 6, 17, 47 and 29* in four innings.
The former India captain will look to bounce back to form in the upcoming New Zealand Tests. Speaking during a press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Kohli, and made a massive prediction.
“My thoughts about Virat has always been very clear, that he is a world-class cricketer, he has performed for such a long period of time. He is as hungry as when he made his debut. I remember opening the batting with him when he made his debut in Sri Lanka, to now his hunger is always there and is already there. That is what makes him a world-class cricketer and I am sure that he will be hungry to get runs in the series and moving forward to Australia as well,” he said.
“We know that once he gets into that run-scoring, how consistent can he be. So I am sure he will be looking for these three Test matches and the series in Australia,” he further added.
