[Watch] Virat Kohli plays reverse sweep vs Ravichandran Ashwin as video of net session for West Indies tour surfaces
Virat Kohli played an uncharacteristic reverse sweep against Ravichandran Ashwin during a net session ahead of India's two-Test series against the West Indies.
The shot, which he almost never plays in international matches, derived cheers from Ravindra Jadeja. Kohli even faced four different kinds of bowling — left-arm seam from Jaydev Unadakat, Ashwin's off-spin, Jadeja's left-arm spin and right-arm pace from a local net bowler — back-to-back.
Watch the clip here:
Watch 🎥
Virat Kohli batting in the nets ahead of the Test series against West Indies!
#ViratKohli #INDvsWI #TeamIndia twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/GdnRvINBWK
Although Kohli looked in decent touch, India wouldn't expect such dry and weary pitches in the Test series against a pacers-lead West Indian attack. Nor they would expect their No. 4 to play such shots against Akeal Hosein or Roston Chase.
India will face the West Indies in two Tests, starting on July 12 in Dominica.
Virat Kohli doesn't have a great (to his standards) record against the Men in Maroon. In 14 Tests, he has scored 822 runs at an average of 43.26, which is his second-worst among every opponent he has faced in the format.
Moreover, among countries where he has played at least five Tests, his average is second-worst in West Indies (35.62). He hasn't averaged more than 50 in any of the past 11 rubbers for India either. The right-hander would want to better that and build some consistency to start the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle.
What happened the last time Virat Kohli visited West Indies for a Test series?
The 34-year-old will want to build on and learn a bit from his performances in India's last two tours of the Caribbean in 2016 and 2019.
In 2019, Virat Kohli scored half-centuries in both Tests — 51 (113) and 76 (113) — but failed to convert. In the four-Test rubber in 2016, the former India skipper scored a magnificent 283-ball 200 to kick off the tour but tapered off, scoring 44 (90), 3 (8) and 4 (17) in the next three innings that India got a chance to bat in.