[Watch] Virat Kohli & others smash big hits into the stands with fans ahead of IND vs BAN 2023 World Cup match

Virat Kohli and other Indian players had a power-hitting drill in the open nets session at the MCA Stadium in Pune ahead of their clash against Bangladesh on Thursday, October 19. The crowd had access to watch their favorite players tonk the ball and they seemed to have a great time out.

In a video posted by BCCI, the likes of Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja were seen practicing their big hits and sending the ball into the stands.

The fans gathered in the stands were thrilled to see the shots come towards them and some were helping in sending back the ball to the practice session in the middle.

Here's the video:

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Virat Kohli on Shakib Al Hasan's challenge

Virat Kohli has had his fair share of struggles against left-arm spin and one match-up that straightaway could take centre stage on Thursday is him against Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan.

Kohli understands the importance of staying on top of his game and here's what he was quoted as saying by Star Sports:

“Over the years, I’ve played a lot against him. He’s got amazing control. He’s a very experienced bowler. He bowls very well with the new ball, knows how to deceive the batsman, and is also very economical."

He further added:

"You have to play your best against all these bowlers, and if you aren't able to, these bowlers are able to create pressure and increase the chances of getting you out."

Kohli has scored 140 runs in 148 balls faced off Shakib in ODIs, but has also been dismissed five times.

India's 2023 World Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami.