Even After Months Of Lockdown, 'King Kohli' Can Smash The First Ball For A Boundary: Virat's Childhood Coach

Coach Rajkumar says Virat is preparing like there’s a match tomorrow itself; bills KL Rahul as gifted as Indian skipper to get back into smashing form

There is a great sense of intrigue around how cricket will be post Covid-19. Will the ball remain the same? Will the rules be the same? Will the cricket atmosphere remain the same? 

However there is a guarantee that one thing will remain the same -- Virat Kohli and his purple patch. And this guarantee card has been signed by none other than a person who has shaped and guided him through his 20,000+ international runs.

Coach Rajkumar Sharma believes that Virat will middle the first ball and hit a boundary off the first ball of a game post lockdown. "Virat is a gifted cricketer who can come after two months and just hit the first ball for four or middle the ball in his first hit. He has that flair but the best thing about him is that he never takes that for granted and works really hard on his game and all its finer aspects. So he's a rare combination of being gifted and hard working," says Sharma.

Virat has emerged as the best batsman in the modern era, scoring runs across formats and being the leading run getter three years in succession. The Dronacharya awardee says he has been in constant touch with him and the Indian skipper has not let his guard down even a bit.

"Virat knows it's going to be a long wait but he's doing everything he can to keep himself in game mode.

He's trying to hit bat to ball in some way he can while keeping indoors, he is preparing mentally like there is a game tomorrow, working on his fitness as well," says Sharma.

 But how many in this Team India can match up to Virat, walk into a game and score runs like usual? "The only cricketer that I can think of who is gifted and natural apart from Virat is KL Rahul. In this Team India, I think only he can just walk on the pitch and hit the first ball for four, everyone else would require some time in the nets before getting into the groove," Sharma says.

This lockdown period may be slightly different from the previous injury breaks that Virat has been forced into. “It has been a roller coaster ride, getting time off from the game for Virat was always a tricky option in recent times. Back injury forced him out for some time but Virat was never happy sitting out and missing games. Ever since a kid, he always wanted to be part of every action on the field. So when the lockdown happened, it was good to get some proper time off. But now Virat is really itching to get back into the game,” he says.

 With the norms easing around lockdown all over the country, sportsmen have already shown their eagerness to get back to practice to keep themselves in prime shape. With the T20 world Cup and Olympics still on the calendar, athletes are hoping for a quick resumption of sporting ties. The BCCI may not have spoken a formal word yet on the matter, but they are looking at a July end away series against South Africa. However, for the bowlers world over, there is no respite in sight from Virat’s bat.