Virat Kohli kicks aside Gambhir & Nayar, works with Sanjay Bangar to sharpen backfoot game

India's veteran batter Virat Kohli is not having the best of times as an international cricketer. The 36-year-old has struggled in the recent matches he has played with his technique all over the place.

However, Kohli is aiming to overcome his weakness and regain some form ahead of the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi. He practiced with the former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar in the nets and even had a lengthy conversation with him.

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Virat Kohli aims to sharpen his backfoot game

According to PTI, Virat Kohli called Sanjay Bangar to regain some form. Bangar arranged a training session for Kohli in a Mumbai facility which is believed to be personally developed under his supervision.

Sanjay Bangar was India's batting coach when Kohli was at the prime of his career. Bangar has also worked with Kohli in the RCB team management before. The former India batting coach was seen accompanying Kohli with a few throwdowns from 16 yards.

The main focus was on developing a strong backfoot game that can enable Kohli to play the rising balls outside off stump comfortably. The training session was also aimed at creating more range of shots square of the wicket.

🚨 VIRAT KOHLI FOCUS ON BACKFOOT GAME 🚨

- The practice of Virat Kohli with Sanjay Bangar was to develop the backfoot play and create more range square of the wicket. [PTI] pic.twitter.com/pF2Igh8RkO

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 26, 2025

A movable cement slab was attached at the back of a length area, which can also be called the mid-pitch area, to feed him with some back-of-length ball balls that rise sharply outside off the stump.

Kohli faced a lot of trouble against such deliveries in the recent Test tour of Australia where the balls used to bounce more after pitch on a good length. It led to his dismissal a no. of times during the course of the series.

Need to create more scoring opportunities

It is to be noted that Virat Kohli is naturally a front-foot player and doesn't rely on his back-foot game too much. However, the overseas conditions where the balls move late require a batter to play the ball late and use his backfoot game to perfection.

Over the years, Kohli has relied on his trademark cover drive but this shot has led to his downfall over the last few months. The idea of the practice session was to ensure that he keeps his scoring areas intact even if he doesn't get too many overpitched balls.

Over the years, Kohli has been scoring most of his runs in front of the wicket with his traditional shots. However, he aims to develop his backfoot game to widen his range of scoring opportunities further.

Virat Kohli's recent Test form

Virat Kohli had a poor Test series in Australia where he aggregated 190 runs in five Tests at an average of 23.75. He was constantly troubled by the balls outside off stump and all of his dismissals were in a similar manner where his outside edge went to the wicketkeeper or the slip fielder.

After playing the upcoming Ranji Trophy game, Kohli will feature in the ODI series against England and then take part in the Champions Trophy where he will be key to India's chances. The 36-year-old has a good record in ICC tournaments and the ODI format.