Virat Kohli and the art of not advancing an inch

Virat Kohli in the nets ahead of the fourth ODI between India and New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. (Image: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com) TimesofIndia.com at Mount Maunganui: Virat Kohli was serious on Thursday as the team assembled for practice ahead of the fourth ODI against New Zealand. From the moment he stepped into the indoor nets area, the ODI stalwart was uncharacteristically cheerful as he faced the trio of Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. He spoke fluent Punjabi, questioned the fielding and gave feedback to Brar and Arshdeep on bowling lengths.Arshdeep in particular had a busy match with Kohli; the two had been at it for almost twenty minutes. What started as friendly banter quickly turned into a fiery duel after the left-arm seamer cleaned up Kohli, leaving him in disbelief. A disgruntled Kohli marched to the other end and made way for Rohit Sharma. Even as he waited his turn, he was still thinking about dismissal and slapped his gloves in frustration. The signal was clear: bring it on!One could sense the energy Kohli was riding after the jitters and charged the first delivery Arshdeep faced only to slice thin air. The bowler also continued the game and completed the progress next to the batsman with his hands resting on his head. The jab continued for the Punjabi but it took just a few deliveries for Kohli to move to the net where spinners Axar Patel, Naman Dhir and Kuldeep Yadav were operating. He was out of the firing line but continued to jab Arshdeep after animated challenges.“Hain? Howzat?” he asked jokingly, even making a DRS gesture when Arshdeep called back during his spell. The youngster had the last laugh, but Kohli wasn’t done with the competition and certainly not with the chatting.The 2nd over was played with Kuldeep as the Chinese forced the right-hander to play one back onto his stumps. As Kuldeep celebrated, Kohli muted it: “You koi ball thi wicket ki?” he said before deciding to stop.

After Virat Kohli and Arshdeep Singh squared off in the nets, they had a healthy banter on the sidelines of India sitting on Mt Maunganui. (Image: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com)

Arshdeep kept talking about length and mindset with Kohli, who shared his experience with the bowlers. He recounted an example of facing Jofra Archer’s fast delivery in the IPL that surged from a good length spot, stressing the importance of lengths in judging pitch.It was a long hit for Kohli on Thursday. He faced a mix of fast bowling, spin and toss but brought a match-like energy that made it very lively for the team. There was occasional chatter with head coach Gautam Gambhir and plenty of laughter, but what stood out was his unwillingness to budge an inch.

Virat Kohli in the net session ahead of the fourth ODI against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com)

No matter what he did or who he faced, Kohli simulated match-like energy in a semi-closed environment and did not leave the facility without ticking his required boxes. From the football session with Brar to his casual conversation with stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer, Kohli’s afternoon had purpose written all over it. When he went back, fans wanted a piece of the Indian superstar.He patiently signed whatever came his way and called it a day.