Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's day out in Auckland: Booming drives, plenty of edges and high intensity
toi
newspoint|01-11-2026
AUCKLAND: A handful of cars were still lining up for the "boot sale" in the Eden Park compound when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma arrived at the venue to continue their ODI preparations . It was a perfect day for cricket: the temperature hovered around 20 degrees, the sun was out in all its glory, and a gentle breeze provided a pleasant balance. This was the experienced duo's second net session, and both Kohli and Rohit hit the ground running as soon as they arrived.
After a quick stretch with the resistance band, India's No.3 was down to business on the centre wicket at the training ground and faced a few throwdowns before taking guard against Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj. The morning freshness set-up the session nicely and the troika instantly hit the right areas, keeping the two stalwarts on their toes throughout their hit.
Nabi, in particular, used the breeze to his advantage, getting nice shape going away from the two right-handers and kept flirting with the outside edges of Rohit and Kohli. There was no respite from the other end with Brar hitting the right length and Kamboj getting a fair few deliveries moving both ways. While Kohli grew in confidence with his trademark cover-drives, none intended to graze the lush green outfield, whereas Rohit remained a bit tentative outside the off-stump.
The two veterans were very comfortable playing deliveries off their pads but it wasn't the case when Nabi got a few to nip back from the spot he was gently curving away for most of the session. The 29-year-old, who is now part of the ODI squad for the first three ODIs, enjoyed top rhythm during his one-hour spell, and the relentlessness of Kamboj and Brar certainly helped.
Intent the keyword for KohliAmidst the nicks and frustration of missing the drives, Kohli didn't compromise on intent. Most of the drives were uppish and he kept searching for the trademark whip towards mid-wicket. Even when Rohit finished his session and was resting by the ice box, Kohli gestured to a waiting KL Rahul for one last dance.
He pulled, drove, flicked, cut and lofted it out of the park with sheer disdain.
The drill lasted close to ten minutes and one hit out of the ground got the local bowlers, who were loosening up in the gym, on their feet. When Kohli was done batting, he placed two cones and did multiple high-intensity sprints to cap off a productive day.
"You boys are Aujla fans," Rohit quipped before posing for the two who smiled ear-to-ear after getting the perfect picture for the 'gram!. No prizes for guessing the song. "Ashke," the unannounced anthem of the nation these days, would have been the unanimous choice.
Gill absent; Rahul, Ruturaj trainIndia ODI captain Shubman Gill wasn't present for the nets and it's understood he had a scheduled gym session during that period. Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who joined the team on October 31, had an extended hit divided between the nets and the centre wicket.
From the support staff, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh were in attendance alongwith Dayanand Garani and Nuwan Seneviratne. The rest remained with India's T20I team for the final match of the series in Hamilton.
After a quick stretch with the resistance band, India's No.3 was down to business on the centre wicket at the training ground and faced a few throwdowns before taking guard against Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj. The morning freshness set-up the session nicely and the troika instantly hit the right areas, keeping the two stalwarts on their toes throughout their hit.
Nabi, in particular, used the breeze to his advantage, getting nice shape going away from the two right-handers and kept flirting with the outside edges of Rohit and Kohli. There was no respite from the other end with Brar hitting the right length and Kamboj getting a fair few deliveries moving both ways. While Kohli grew in confidence with his trademark cover-drives, none intended to graze the lush green outfield, whereas Rohit remained a bit tentative outside the off-stump.
The two veterans were very comfortable playing deliveries off their pads but it wasn't the case when Nabi got a few to nip back from the spot he was gently curving away for most of the session. The 29-year-old, who is now part of the ODI squad for the first three ODIs, enjoyed top rhythm during his one-hour spell, and the relentlessness of Kamboj and Brar certainly helped.
Intent the keyword for KohliAmidst the nicks and frustration of missing the drives, Kohli didn't compromise on intent. Most of the drives were uppish and he kept searching for the trademark whip towards mid-wicket. Even when Rohit finished his session and was resting by the ice box, Kohli gestured to a waiting KL Rahul for one last dance.
He pulled, drove, flicked, cut and lofted it out of the park with sheer disdain.
The drill lasted close to ten minutes and one hit out of the ground got the local bowlers, who were loosening up in the gym, on their feet. When Kohli was done batting, he placed two cones and did multiple high-intensity sprints to cap off a productive day.
"You boys are Aujla fans," Rohit quipped before posing for the two who smiled ear-to-ear after getting the perfect picture for the 'gram!. No prizes for guessing the song. "Ashke," the unannounced anthem of the nation these days, would have been the unanimous choice.
Gill absent; Rahul, Ruturaj trainIndia ODI captain Shubman Gill wasn't present for the nets and it's understood he had a scheduled gym session during that period. Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who joined the team on October 31, had an extended hit divided between the nets and the centre wicket.
From the support staff, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule and fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh were in attendance alongwith Dayanand Garani and Nuwan Seneviratne. The rest remained with India's T20I team for the final match of the series in Hamilton.
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