‘I don’t think he needs a lot of practice….’ – India’s batting coach opens up on Virat Kohli missing practice session ahead of Test match against South Africa

Team India has finished Day 1 of the first Test game at 208/8 against South Africa in Centurion. Notably, the visiting sides had an awful start to the game as both openers departed quickly; however, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s batting brilliance helped India post a decent total at the end of the opening game. Meanwhile, Team India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour heaps praise on Kohli and Rahul after the end of Day 1.

The batting coach also opens up about Virat Kohli missing the practice session ahead of the Test game. Rathour clarified that India’s star batter does not need much practice, as he bats a lot and trains hard to stay focused and fit. In addition, the former India opener clarified that he hadn’t seen Virat Kohli away from the red ball of cricket for the past six months.

“The stage of his career Virat (Kohli) is, I don’t think he needs a lot of practice. He bats a lot and trains a lot. So, if he practised a few days less, doesn’t matter much. We saw, how well he was playing. It didn’t seem he was away from red-ball cricket for six months. It’s a good sign,” Vikram Rathour said being quoted by NDTV Sports.

KL Rahul is turning out to be a man of crisis for us: Vikram Rathour

Meanwhile, Rathour also heaps praise on KL Rahul, who puts India into the dominant position with his unbeaten 70 runs. In addition, the batting coach talks about how KL Rahul always stands up for India, irrespective of difficult situations.

“Rahul is turning out to be a man of crisis for us. Every time, there are tough situations, he is the guy who handles it well for us. Nothing special, he was clear with his game plans, defended the right balls, attacked the right one. It was always going to be challenging. The weather was an issue. The wicket was under cover for a day or more than that. It was always going to be challenging as batting group. We would have loved to have couple of more wickets in hand. But we have done reasonably well,” he added further.