'Relaxed' Kohli, Rohit sweat it out in Kanpur in search of big scores as India aim to spin out Bangladesh

Lately, observing the interactions between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli takes you back nearly a decade and a half, when these two were seen as the next big hopes of Indian cricket, following in the footsteps of Tendulkar and Dravid. The duo has appeared remarkably relaxed, often in a lighter mood during net sessions. The T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean seems to have had a magical effect on these modern legends. Despite limited success in Sri Lanka (ODIs) and the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, they appear least bothered by the recent outings in international cricket.

Kohli was the first one to reach among the two at the Green Park stadium on Wednesday afternoon. After knocking a few balls in the middle of the ground before the practice nets, the former India captain was joined by his current captain along with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Even when Kohli was beaten and bowled by Axar Patel, he could not stop laughing as the Gujarat spinner was elated and celebrated like a kid. Jasprit Bumrah too had an intense session with the ball in front of Kohli.

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No matter what, all eyes were glued on how Kohli was batting in the nets. Kohli may not have looked at his magnificent best but he was not struggling either. However, since his century (136 at Eden Gardens) against Bangladesh in November 2019, he has not looked like the giant he really is. Since then, in 30 Test matches his average (32.72) and number of Test hundreds (2) is perhaps an oddity in an otherwise illustrious Test career.

Expect a thunderous innings from the King to show his contemporaries like Joe Root and Kane Williamson that this long Test season will see his ambition reinvigorated.

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Like Kohli, Rohit too batted for nearly 40 minutes in the hot and humid conditions of Kanpur. In his last seven innings, Rohit has scored two tons and one fifty, and yet like Kohli, he too would be determined to get a big score in Kanpur after a rare twin failure (the first Test in Chennai) in home Test matches. These days Rohit also keeps a close tab on Jaiswal. During his net session, he was seen admonishing the young opener like a big brother, laughing with him like a friend, and offering advice like a mentor to the young Mumbai opener batting in the adjacent nets.

Since his debut in West Indies, Jaiswal has been stunning but the captain perhaps keeps reminding him about the challenges of ‘second season blue’.

It was ‘all happening’ in Kanpur’s fist net practice session on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/8fhjlKZLfI

— Vimal कुमार (@Vimalwa) September 25, 2024

No matter what is the scoreline of the series or who is the opponent, one thing that is constant in India during any Test match is ’time spent’ on pitch observation and discussion.

After a sporting wicket in Chennai which assisted the seamers in the first couple of days, Green Park is expected to be spin-friendly with low bounce. The head coach Gautam Gambhir was the first one to have a look at the pitch, he was followed by Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav (who is a local hero) too spent a few minutes in the center before joining the net session.

It looks almost certain that one of the pacers, possibly Akash Deep may have to make way for Yadav as third spinner in the playing XI. “Whatever the wicket is like, if I play, my job is to put the ball in good areas,” said the pacer who came for the press briefing after the three-hour net session was over.

“Even if the wicket is not favouring fast bowlers, I need to find a way to pick up wickets. From what I have seen, it’s a sporting wicket, not a batters’ wicket.”

Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, the batting heroes of the Chennai Test, batted alongside KL Rahul and looked in splendid form. Gill was particularly severe on Jadeja. Pant, batting in his typical daredevil style, once lost his bat while attempting a ramp shot. Kohli, who was sitting near the captain and watching Pant, had something amusing to say, which made everyone laugh.

It was also a long session for the spin quartet of Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep who not only bowled for nearly half an hour but also spent as much time with the bat. The big question remains: can India even contemplate playing all four spinners in the XI? Could India be bold enough to rotate their two legendary spinners and include both Axar and Kuldeep in the lineup?

Of course, it seems unlikely, but if there’s ever a chance to experiment, it’s against an opponent like Bangladesh, which has never won a Test against India. For the record, India has been winning every Test series since 2013, and this phenomenal streak is set to reach adulthood (18th in a row), regardless of any changes to the XI.