Virat Kohli reunites with former Team India batting coach to gear up for Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Team India's former captain Virat Kohli has commenced training for Delhi's upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Railways, beginning January 30. The ace batter is set to feature in the red-ball domestic tournament after more than 12 years.

Kohli was recently spotted practicing with former cricketer Sanjay Bangar in Mumbai. Bangar has previously worked closely with the veteran batter during his stint as India's batting coach between 2014 and 2019.

It is worth mentioning that Bangar also served as the head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from 2021 to 2023. Kohli has reunited with the former all-rounder as he looks to regain his mojo ahead of his Ranji Trophy comeback.

According to a report by The Hindu, Kohli contacted Bangar for a training session. The two trained at the facility developed by the former Team India player. A few videos have surfaced on social media, in which the 36-year-old batter was seen working on his backfoot game.

Kohli thrived during Bangar's stint as Indian batting coach. A senior BCCI official told the news agency PTI that Kohli reserved high praise for the Bangar in his feedback after the 2019 World Cup. The official said (via The Hindu):

"When Kohli's feedback was sought post 2019 World Cup, he had given a glowing certificate to Bangar, stating that as a batter, he had benefitted a lot from his technical inputs during all those years."

Kohli was expected to feature in Delhi's recently concluded Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Saurashtra. However, he was unavailable for selection due to a neck sprain.

The seasoned campaigner was last seen in action during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. He kicked off the tour by notching up his 81st Test century, scoring an unbeaten 100 in India's second innings of the opening encounter.

Despite the wonderful start, Kohli failed to get going in the remaining matches, ultimately finishing with 190 runs across nine innings at an average of 23.75. Australia won the series 3-1, reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years.

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"It doesn’t matter how he’s performing" - Monty Panesar believes Virat Kohli must be part of India's Test tour of England

Team India's next Test assignment will be a five-match away series against England in June. Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes that Virat Kohli must play in the series, irrespective of his recent form.

Panesar hoped to see Kohli back to his vintage self before drawing curtains on his decorated international career. During an interview with English Jagran, Panesar said:

"Absolutely. It doesn’t matter how he’s [Virat Kohli] performing or how many runs he’s scoring at the moment—that’s not the issue. You need Virat Kohli in England. Ask any fast bowler, and if you tell them Virat isn’t on the tour, they’ll be thinking, “Oh, happy days! This is great news for us.” Virat is still a massive threat, even if he’s not in top form."

"The England bowlers will likely continue targeting that fourth or fifth stump line, but Virat is an absolute must for the tour. He needs to be there, and hopefully, he can turn his form around. He has five Test matches to rediscover his rhythm in red-ball cricket, and let’s hope he does. It would be a sad end to his Test career if he were to experience a prolonged drought and the BCCI decided to make the Oval his farewell match."

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's Ranji Trophy comeback will come at his home ground as Delhi take on Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.