Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s day in Auckland: Booming runs, lots of edges and high intensity

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at Eden Park, Auckland. (Photos: Sahil Malhotra) AUCKLAND: As Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma arrived at the venue to continue their ODI preparations, a handful of cars were still lining up for the ‘shoe sale’ at the Eden Park grounds. It was a perfect day for cricket: the temperature hovered around 20 degrees, the sun was shining and a gentle breeze provided a nice balance. It was the second net session for the experienced duo and both Kohli and Rohit hit the ground running as soon as they arrived.After a quick stretch with the resistance band, the Indian No.3 went to work at center wicket on the training ground and faced several dropouts before lining up to defend against Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj. The morning freshness set the session up nicely and the trio immediately hit the right areas, keeping both faithful on their toes throughout their intervention.Nabi in particular used the wind to his advantage, got some nice shape from the two right-handers and continued to flirt with the outside edges of Rohit and Kohli. There was no respite at the other end, Brar hit the right length and Kamboj got a good few deliveries both ways. While Kohli grew in confidence with his signature cover units, none were intent on grazing the lush green field, while Rohit remained a bit hesitant outside the off stump.The two veterans were very comfortable playing deliveries from their pads, but that was not the case when Nabi got a few to bite back from a spot that was gently curling for most of the session. The 29-year-old, who is now part of the ODI squad for the first three ODIs, enjoyed top-notch pace during his hour-long spell and the tirelessness of Kamboja and Brar certainly helped.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma keep a close eye on the nets at Eden Park. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra)

Intend the keyword for Kohli

Amidst the scrapes and frustration of missing out on units, Kohli did not compromise on the intent. Most of the units were advanced and he was constantly looking for a typical whip towards mid wicket. Even as Rohit finished his session and was resting by the fridge, Kohli beckoned the waiting KL Rahul for the last dance.He pulled, steered, swung, cut and took it out of the park with sheer disdain.The practice lasted almost ten minutes, and one hit from the ground brought the local pitchers, who were relaxing in the gym, to their feet. When Kohli finished batting, he placed two cones and did some high-intensity sprints to end a productive day.

Virat Kohli after completing his nets at Eden Park in Auckland. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra)

Karan Aujla query Rohit

You can’t keep Karan Aujla off social media these days and Rohit too seemed to have caught up with the trend as he took a quick toilet break. Both the local cricketers were excited when the former Indian captain entered the premises and when they politely asked for a photo, they were a bit taken aback by his simplicity and enquiry.“You guys are Aujla fans,” Rohit quipped before posing with the two who were grinning from ear to ear after getting the picture perfect for the ‘gram!. No prizes for guessing the song. “Ashke,” the unheralded anthem of the nation these days, would be a unanimous choice.

KL Rahul at Eden Park. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra)

Gill is missing; Rahul, Ruturaj train

India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill was not present at the nets and is understood to have had a scheduled gym session during this period. Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who joined the team on 31 October, had an extended innings split between the nets and mid-wicket.From the support staff, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh along with Dayanand Garani and Nuwan Seneviratne were present. The rest was left to the Indian T20I team for the final match of the series in Hamilton.