Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli continued to bat in the nets even after India’s first practice at the Optus Stadium in Perth was halted due to heavy rain, according to journalist Bharat Sundaresan. According to his post on X (formerly Twitter), Indian batters had an extended practice session in the nets which also included Kohli. However, the session had to be cut short due to rain getting heavier. Kohli, who was in the nets, was not keen on stopping but had to rush back to the dressing room along with his teammates as the weather worsened. Kohli’s dedication was praised by a number of social media users.
Unreal dedication..
— Shreyy (@SadlyShreyy) November 19, 2024
Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on November 22 in Perth, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar spoke about Virat Kohli aiming to regain form during Border-Gavaskar trophy tour and his past record on Australian pitches.
Kohli was in the ZONE…..
— Hemant Singh (@Marx_Mach1819) November 19, 2024
Gavaskar expressed confidence that Kohli would excel in the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, drawing on his past successes in Perth and Adelaide.
Kohli in the nets: rain or shine, the grind never stops. #AusvInd
— CrickGod (@cricketstalk) November 19, 2024
"Because he hasn't got runs against New Zealand, he'll be very, very hungry. Even in that Adelaide Test match, where in the second innings we got all out for 36, in the first innings, Kohli got 70 plus, if I recall correctly, before being run out. He's consistently performed at Adelaide, so it's a familiar ground for him. And before Adelaide, it's Perth, where he played one of the finest Test centuries in 2018-19. A terrific hundred. Having performed on these grounds, he'll feel that extra bit of confidence. Of course, you need a bit of luck at the start, but if he gets off to a good start, he will get big runs," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
(With ANI inputs)