[Watch] Fans climb trees to get a glimpse of Virat Kohli at practice in Perth ahead of BGT 2024-25
Virat Kohli mania has hit Australia as fans in Perth were seen climbing trees to get a glimpse of the star Indian batter at practice. Earlier, the Indian cricketer's arrival Down Under also sparked a lot of enthusiasm in the Australian media, with the 36-year-old making it to the headlines in several prominent newspapers.
Team India will take on Australia in a five-match Test series as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The opening Test will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth starting November 22. Except for skipper Rohit Sharma, the other members of the Indian team have begun practice for the grueling series, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC).
On Thursday, November 14, the X handle of Fox Cricket shared a video of Kohli's practice session in the nets in Perth. In the clip, black sheets are seen put up at the practice venue to block the public view. Some enthusiastic fans were, however, seen climbing trees to get a glimpse of the Indian superstar.
As per a report in The West Australian, some fans even brought their own ladders to get a glimpse of Kohli at practice. Detailing his preparations, the report added.
"Kohli’s trademark forward stride and loud calls of “No” and “Yes” were out early as the 36-year-old acclimatized to the bouncy practice wickets. He showed little trouble with the rising balls but did cop a couple to the gloves down leg side before moving into the spin net."
The former India captain had a poor Test series at home against New Zealand as the hosts were whitewashed 3-0. The right-handed batter managed only 93 runs in six innings at an average of 15.50, with a best of 70.
Ravi Shastri urges Kohli to show calmness in Australia
Several critics reckon that Kohli is likely to have a tough time Down Under given his poor run of form. Amid the question marks, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has urged the seasoned batter to maintain his calmness during his first few visits to the crease. Speaking to ICC, the former all-rounder commented:
“Well, the King is back in his territory. That's all I will tell them. When you've earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent's) mind when you go out to bat.
“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he'll be fine,” Shastri added.
Kohli has played 13 Tests in Australia and has smashed 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08, with the aid of six hundreds and four half-centuries. He led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia in 2018-19.