New Delhi: As India looks to bounce back from a disappointing white-ball tour of England, former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has revealed Virat Kohli’s extraordinary efforts to conquer the English conditions, offering a glimpse into the elaborate preparation process.India’s tour ended with a 0-2 T20I series whitewash in Ireland, followed by a 0-3 defeat in the five-match T20I series against England after a humiliating defeat in the fourth match in Bristol on Thursday.With the inconsequential fifth T20I looming, attention has shifted to the three-match ODI series starting in Birmingham on Tuesday, with veteran players Kohli and Rohit Sharma set to return under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.
‘We put extra water on the pitch’
Speaking at the Great Indian Cricket Show at Doordarshan, Bangal recalled how Kohli completely revamped his preparation after a disappointing tour of England in 2014.“When you go to England, the whole game comes down to two things: how well you counter the swing, and how late you can bowl,” Bangar said. “Because Virat Kohli didn’t perform well in the 2014 tour, he put in a lot of work in the 2017-18 season to fix the problem.”Bangal revealed that India’s training sessions in Mumbai were designed to mimic England’s conditions as closely as possible.“Our routine was brutal; we would arrive at the pitch in Mumbai at 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning just to chase the early dew. We wanted to start early so we could replicate the British conditions and take advantage of the heavy morning atmosphere and the natural moisture on the uncovered pitch,” he revealed.When the weather became less challenging, the coaching staff improvised.“If the sun comes out and the moisture starts to drop on the wicket, we’ll actually pour extra water on the surface to keep the ball snaking,” he added.
Practice pays off
According to Bangal, Kohli underwent demanding drills repeatedly in pursuit of technical perfection against swinging balls.“Virat does this grueling practice over and over again,” he revealed.The former batting coach believes these grueling simulations played a major role in improving India’s performance in England.“Because our core three or four hitters managed to fine-tune their batting through these precise simulations, we were very successful in winning games there,” he explained.The news comes as India’s young batting line-up struggled in friendly conditions during the T20I series against Ireland and England.Kohli, who trained with Bangar in Mumbai before heading to England for the ODI tour, is expected to shoulder the lion’s share of the batting responsibilities along with Rohit Sharma as India try to restore their pride after a disappointing T20I season.
