IND vs BAN: Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah steal spotlight as details from India's practice session leaked

The Indian cricket team kicked off its preparation for the crucial two-match Test against Bangladesh, with attention focused on the two key players Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah during the behind-closed-doors training session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The Indian team underwent an intense training session under the watchful eyes of the head coach Gautam Gambhir and his support staff on Friday (September 13) afternoon at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai; the venue will host the first Test against Bangladesh from September 19.

Jasprit Bumrah bowls at full throttle, and Virat Kohli sweats it out in the nets as India begins preparation for the Bangladesh series

The buzz was palpable as the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli sweated it out in the nets for a solid 45 minutes. It was the former Indian skipper’s first proper session since returning from a month-long break.

Virat Kohli had directly landed in Chennai from London early morning, and his presence infused energy into the Indian camp ahead of the Bangladesh Tests, as he is raring to go into the battle zone.

Meanwhile, India's pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah showed why he is among the most feared bowlers in the world across the three formats of the game. It is being said that Bumrah bowled full throttle during the closed-door training session, as Jasprit Bumrah is set to return to action with the Bangladesh Tests.

Jasprit Bumrah was on break since winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and will be making a comeback with the home series against the Tigers. A local source was quoted as saying by PTI: “Virat was there for 45 minutes, and Bumrah also bowled full throttle.”

Team India begins their preps for an exciting home season

It was a preparatory session that marked Gambhir's first home assignment since he took over from Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach. Gambhir has been joined by his coaching team, with Morne Morkel coming on board as the new bowling coach and Abhishek Nayar as assistant coach.

Images of the first practice shared by the BCCI on X showed how the players were listening to Gambhir and skipper Rohit. Sharing multiple pictures on X, the BCCI wrote in the caption: “The countdown starts as Team India begin their preps for an exciting home season.”

The countdown starts as #TeamIndia begin their preps for an exciting home season.#INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/VlIvau5AfD

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 13, 2024

Meanwhile, Rohit was seen in a yellow jersey as he arrived in Chennai on Thursday night, while Kohli flew in from London this morning, while the other big stars like KL Rahul, Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant arrived on Thursday. Sarfaraz Khan will join the team after Duleep Trophy 2024 commitments with India B.

India aims to grab all WTC points in Bangladesh Tests

The Indian team knows there is simply no room for error with vital WTC points up for grabs. Sitting at the top of the WTC table with a lead of 6.52 percentage points, India is gearing up for the grueling Test season, featuring a total of 10 Tests against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia.

India will be aiming to set the tone for an all-important Test season ahead. However, the hosts can’t take Bangladesh, fresh from a sensational 2-0 series win over Pakistan, lightly in the home series. Notably, after the upcoming two Tests, the two teams will also play three T20Is next month.