There have been so many expectations and anticipation around Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 after nearly a12 years when he faced Uttar Pradesh at Ghaziabad. The former Indian captain has been struggling with the bat of late and is aiming to return in form before the start of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to begin on February 19.
Virat Kohli displayed his weak performances against the New Zealand spinners at home, where he managed only 93 runs in six innings at an average of 15.50 thanks to just one half-century that came during the second innings of the series opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Concerns grew over his performance in what was expected to be his last Test trip to Australia. But the Delhi batter celebrated a century in the second innings of the opening red-ball encounter at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The hope increased, but the veteran kept on repeating the same mistakes all over again and finished the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75.
Delhi experienced poor batting performances against Saurashtra in the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy, as they were blown away before Ravindra Jadeja’s spin trap at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. The return of Virat Kohli’s stature will be a huge bonus for the Ayush Badoni-led side.
Virat Kohli recalls Sanjay Bangar for batting practice ahead of Ranji Trophy return
Four days before the start of the encounter against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the right-handed batter resumed his training when he had a special net session under the guidance of the former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, who is also the former batting coach of the blue brigade, at a ground in Bandra.
The 36-year-old enjoyed his successful batting years between 2014 and 2019 during Bangar’s tenure as the coach. In 2016, he smashed 1215 runs in just 18 Test innings at an average of 75.93 and a strike rate of 60,41 with the help of four centuries and two half-centuries at the best score of 235 runs. He followed it up with 1059 runs in 2017 at an average of 75.64 at a strike rate of 76.24, thanks to five centuries and one fifty.
Whenever Virat Kohli is in Mumbai, he often shares a comfortable equation with Bangar. The bulk of his 80 international centuries came during the period of Bangar’s coaching. He was later replaced by Vikram Rathour in the national side, while Sanjay shook hands with Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the viral video circulating on social media, the former coach is seen giving Virat a few throwdowns from around 16 yards. The batter seems to be working more on the back foot. He is trying to wait and rock back to nail the short balls, which he has missed, keeping too much attention on the balls outside the off stump.
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The move from many star batters, including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Jadeja, came after the new rules and regulations of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it mandatory to play the domestic games for the national selection.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul missed the sixth round of the trophy after it recommenced, but they are expected to be back for their respective sides. The valuable time in the middle will grow their confidence before the upcoming three-match home ODI series and the Champions Trophy.