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Harbhajan Singh recently pointed out a big change that Virat Kohli has brought into his practice to deal with his form in Australia.
Virat Kohli walks back to the dressing room dissapointed after being dismissed (AP)
Virat Kohli did hint at a comeback to his old form with a century in India’s 295-run win over Australia in the Perth Test. But the situation changed soon with Kohli managing to score 18 runs across the two innings as India suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the second Test played in Adelaide. Kohli has already started his preparations for the third Test, scheduled to start on Saturday, December 14. Kohli has been spotted training in the nets as he looks determined to score big in the next Test in Brisbane. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently pointed out a big change that Kohli has brought into his practice to deal with his form in Australia.
During an interaction on Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh revealed that Virat Kohli has started to test his backfoot defence in the nets. “Yes, whatever little I have seen him batting in the nets today. I have played a lot of cricket with him. He is a front-foot player. Knowing the bounce on Indian soil, you have to be on your front foot. The people who have played here, the likes of Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Langer, Hayden. They were good back foot players, because of the bounce. It is the kind of bounce you get in Australia, you have to be good player of bounce. You need to have a good backfoot game. That’s what he was practicing,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying.
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“Specifically I have noticed today. He was playing a lot of deliveries on the backfoot. He was going forward for the fuller ball but those balls which were slightly shorter, he was either leaving or trying to play them. The ball from the back foot, he knows that Gabba will be a different wicket where he will get to face a lot of bounce and pace and that back foot game needs to be included in his game. Good to see him working on the game. I am sure, knowing Virat Kohli, we have seen him making a comeback after every setback,” Harbhajan Singh added.
Virat Kohli has so far scored 611 runs at an average of 22.62 in 21 Tests this year. India kicked off the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a positive note having claimed an emphatic 295-run win in the Test series opener. But Australia scripted a prompt comeback with a resounding 10-wicket triumph in the pink-ball Test, played in Adelaide.
