India vs Bangladesh: Virat Kohli tests his off-spin skills ahead of Hyderabad Test

Virat Kohli, an occasional seamer, switched to bowling spin ahead of the one-off India vs Bangladesh Test where slow bowlers are expected to dominate. This will be Bangladesh’s first-ever Test in India

While the Indian team had a proper nets session on a rather warm day here, Bangladesh, after an indifferent show in the drawn warm-up game against India A that ended on Monday, took the day off.

Virat Kohli was seen in a playful mood with Ravindra Jadeja during the India national cricket team's practice at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (AFP)

Despite this being Bangladesh’s first-ever Test in the country, the buzz is around Australia’s tour starting later this month with this Test seen by fans and the media more as an appetiser before the main course.

Perhaps for India it is a game where new things can be tried.

It didn’t come as a surprise then to see skipper Virat Kohli bowling off-spin in the nets, even getting one past Cheteshwar Pujara’s defences and going into a wild celebration. Kohli, enjoying a purple patch with the bat, usually bowls medium pace, and mostly tries to take the ball away.

His personal coach Rajkumar Sharma says, “He bowls slow medium generally. But he could be trying something new to add to his repertoire.”

Whether it was for fun or not remains to be seen. But the ball did turn and his action looked tidier than it does when he bowls seam up.

With local officials expecting the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium wicket to turn from Day 3 onwards, a batsman with a bowling arm who can turn the ball could be handy for India, just in case.