Under-Fire Virat Kohli Makes Big Change In Batting, Harbhajan Explains

Back in the line of fire over his poor show in India’s defeat in the pink-ball Test against Australia, Virat Kohli has dug deeper in his pursuit of success ahead of the third Test. The veteran batter continues to practice in Adelaide, along with the other members of the team, after the second Test ended prematurely inside three days. Kohli, who couldn’t help the team with his bat in Adelaide, has been a regular figure in the nets since. In fact, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh explained a big transformation that Kohli has brought into his practice to counter his poor run of form in Australia.

Harbhajan, in a chat on Star Sports, revealed that Kohli tested his backfoot defence extensively in the nets, preparing himself for the excess bounce that the Gabba pitch is likely to produce.

“Yes, whatever little I have seen him batting in the nets today. I have played a lot of cricket with him. He is a front-foot player. Knowing the bounce on Indian soil, you have to be on your front foot. The people who have played here, the likes of Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Langer, Hayden. They were good back foot players, because of the bounce. It is the kind of bounce you get in Australia, you have to be good player of bounce. You need to have a good backfoot game. That’s what he was practicing,” Harbhajan revealed.

It is time to look ahead.

Preparations for the Brisbane Test starts right here in Adelaide.#TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/VfWphBK6pe

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 10, 2024

Kohli went to the nets even as the Indian team was beaten in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Harbhajan feels a comeback is on the cards from Virat in Gabba, considering the efforts he is putting into practice.

“Specifically I have noticed today. He was playing a lot of deliveries on the backfoot. He was going forward for the fuller ball but those balls which were slightly shorter, he was either leaving or trying to play them. The ball from the back foot, he knows that Gabba will be a different wicket where he will get to face a lot of bounce and pace and that back foot game needs to be included in his game. Good to see him working on the game. I am sure, knowing Virat Kohli, we have seen him making a comeback after every setback,” he added.