Highlights
- Virat was seen bowling for an hour as Team India prepare for the T20I series
- The former India batter could be a back-up option of Team India needs additional pace
- India play Australia in the first T20I on Tuesday
The Indian cricket team could have a major boost in the bowling department and it's not the return of any marquee pacer but it is Virat Kohli that could solve the problem. The former India captain was seen sweating at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium for one hour with the ball as team India prepare for the three-match T20I series against Australia.
The former Indian captain took to the nets on Monday as Rohit Sharma's men prepare for the huge clash on Tuesday. The Indian team is already without Mohammed Shami for the series after he contracted Covid-19 on Sunday. As a result, he was ruled out of the series and although Umesh Yadav has been named as a replacement for him, Virat still had a lot to offer than with the bat.
In pictures posted by the PCA's Twitter handle Virat along with Ravichandran Ashwin was seen sweating under the lights. The Indian team could need the services of the 33-year-old if the Indian fall short of balling options. Virat is a part-time bowler and has the needed variety to trouble the batters.
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The Indian batter's batting stat is well-known to the world, but his bowling is something that could be a surprise package. While he has 71 international tons to his name, he also has eight wickets at the highest level. Virat has scalped four wickets each in the T20I and ODI format with a best of 13/1.
While bowling is Plan B, batting will be Virat's top priority as he currently needs 62 more runs to go level with Rahul Dravid for most international runs. He is currently India's third-highest scorer on the international stage with 24002 runs. Overall he ranks seventh for most runs on the international stage.
Virat needs one more hundred to go past Ricky Ponting to be the outright second highest scorer of most centuries on the international stage, as both are locked on 71 hundreds.
India play Australia in the first T20I on Tuesday evening as the Men in Blue get set for the T20 World Cup in less than a month's time.
