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Cricket PlayersWatch: Virat Kohli teases Axar Patel after smoking him for gigantic six during India nets ahead of 1st Bangladesh Test
One incident that sure is to sum up Virat Kohli's mood ahead of the India vs Bangladesh Test is his batting against Axar Patel. Kohli smashed the left-arm spinner down the ground for a colossal six and teased him later over it.
Coming off a century in the third ODI, Virat Kohli is gearing up for the 1st Test starting Wednesday with an intense training session. Kohli hit the ground running as India hope to put the ODI series defeat to Bangladesh on the backburner and even the odds in Tests, the first of which will be played in Chattogram. It was on this very venue a few days ago that Kohli ended his ODI century drought and would be hoping to build on it.
During Team India's practice session on the eve of the match, Kohli could be seen in a jovial mood and focusses as always. The star India batter went through the fitness drills before enjoying a fun game of frisbee. Kohli first took throwdowns before walking to the other end of the ground to have a knocking session against the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. The session lasted nearly 40 minutes as he played some confident and attacking strokes.
Kohli then took a break from the nets before re-entering again to take more throwdowns for around 20-odd minutes. Kohli could also be seen having a world with young Shubman Gill, who is set to open the innings for India along with stand-in captain KL Rahul. However, one incident that sure is to sum up Kohli's mood is his batting against Axar Patel. Kohli smashed the left-arm spinner down the ground for a colossal six and teased him later over it.
Kohli, who struggled for form during the first-half of the year, has been in fine form lately, having notched up an ODI and T20I century each. He was the second-highest run scorer in the Asia Cup and led the charts at the T20 World Cup, scoring four half-centuries. Kohli, who hasn't had the greatest of outings for India in Tests this year, would look to change it. In four Tests, Kohli has scored 220 runs with one half-century – 79 against South Africa in Cape Town which was his last match as India captain.
In the home series against Sri Lanka, Kohli's highest score was 45 across two Tests during which his average dropped below 50 for the first time in five years. He played the rescheduled fifth Test from last year against England but failed to leave an impression with scores of 11 and 20 as Ben Stokes' team won to finish the series 2-2. Kohli couldn't have asked for a batter team to bat against than Bangladesh. With 392 runs from five innings, Kohli's record against Bangladesh is mighty impressive with an average of 78.40 and when he goes to bat, the former India captain will have his eyes set on a massive feat. He needs 169 runs to surpass coach Rahul Dravid as India's second-highest scorer against Bangladesh in Tests.
Bangladesh are yet to beat India in a Test match. Of the 11 Tests played between the two teams, India have dominated with nine wins while two ended in a draw. However, after the ODI series defeat, India cannot afford to take Bangladesh lightly, which is why coach Dravid was seen having a serious discussion with some of his players during the team's practice session.
