‘Short leg pe catch tha’, Jasprit Bumrah taunts Virat Kohli in nets ahead of second Test against Bangladesh

New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s comeback in Test cricket didn’t bring about a positive notes. He scored 6 and 17 within the first Test against Bangladesh. On the other hand, Kohli forever featured within the white-ball formats this year, he skipped the Test series against England between January-March for personal reasons. At some point of India’s net rehearsal on the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, he looked as if it would highlight his ongoing struggle with past weaknesses.

Consistent with the Indian Express, Kohli faced considerable challenges against both spin and percent bowling worldwide practice. He engaged in a 15-ball contest against India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, worldwide which he became beaten on four occasions. At first, Kohli checked out ease, executing a pair of trademark shots, including a cover drive that drew cheers from the small crowd. On the other hand, the momentum shifted when Bumrah bowled one on Kohli’s pads, prompting a confident shout of ‘saamne laga hai’ (You're plumb) from the pacer, which Kohli acknowledged.

It became now a contest. Bumrah changed length, forcing an edge off Kohli. Having a look back to a fuller length, he got Kohli twice more from there; both the times, though, it became from the ball lifting after hitting his inside of edge. In a playfully sarcastic comment on the former skipper, Bumrah smiled and remarked, “Aakhiri wala toh short leg ka catch tha (The short leg would have caught that last one).”

Kohli’s battle became evident on the day where India trotted out three bouncers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. His well-documented travails against spin bowling resurfaced against Jadeja as he tried to counter by hitting inside of-out but missed the shot thrice on the trot, clearly getting frustrated. The session ended when Axar Patel bowled Kohli out, a disappointing way for the batter’s innings to end.

India requires one of its best batsmen in good shape for what promises to be a trying Test summer, as the campaign starts with a home series against New Zealand and the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. So when India prepare for the 2nd Test, so too will Kohli’s displays be put under the microscope.