India’s star batter Virat Kohli, who is struggling for form lately, hit the nets on Saturday (January 25) as he prepares to make a return to domestic cricket.
Kohli has reportedly confirmed his availability for Delhi's next Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways, scheduled to begin on January 30. The match will mark his return to domestic first-class cricket for the first time since 2012.
In a video doing rounds on social media, Kohli could be seen receiving throwdowns from former India batting coach, Sanjay Bangar.
Notably, the BCCI has announced sweeping changes to Indian cricket team's player regulations in the aftermath of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy debacle.
India conceded the BGT 1-3 to Australia for the first time since 2014-15. Before the tour Down Under, the Rohit Sharma-led side also suffered a humiliating 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in home conditions.
Cracking the whip against the players, the BCCI has decided to implement a stringent 10-point guidelines, including making participation in domestic tournaments mandatory to be eligible for national team selection and central contracts. It also warned of disciplinary action in case of non-compliance.
While the likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant represented their respective domestic sides when the Ranji Trophy resumed on January 23, Kohli wasn't available for selection for Delhi's match against Saurashtra due to neck sprain.
Talking about Virat Kohli’s BGT exploits, he began the marquee series with a second innings hundred (100*) at Perth but managed to amass only 90 runs in his other eight innings combined.
The age-old problem of fishing outside the off stump led to Kohli’s downfall throughout the tour, with Australian quicks Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc exploiting his weakness.
While Kohli finished the tour of Australia with an average of 23.75, he scored only 440 runs in 21 Test innings at an average of 23.15 last year. As a result, his career average has dropped to 46.85 after 123 Tests.
