How Virat Kohli reacted to Indian players refusing to practice on 'dangerous wicket' in SA

Virat Kohli's grit and passion never ceases to amaze people. Former fielding coach of the Indian cricket team R Sridhar narrated one such incident when in South Africa the Indian batsman refused to give up and batted on the dangerous pitch on the practice ground provided to them. India toured South Africa where a Virat Kohli-led Men-In-Blue lost the Test series 2-1. This incident proved to be a perfect example of Virat Kohli's gritty mindset which has turned him into one of the most successful players.

R Sridhar reveals Virat Kohli batted on an unused pitch for hours

R Sridhar mentioned the entire incident in his book, “COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team" as how Virat Kohli didn't pay heed to any advice and straight went out to bat on the threatening pitch. As told by Sridhar, the condition of the surface was not great as it was unused and was not ideal for batting.

The other Indian players used the centre wicket to prepare for the match but it was Virat who took the initiative to pad up and bat on that dangerous surface.

Sridhar insisted despite several warnings Virat didn't listen and continued batting on that pitch. “Before that England series, we were in South Africa in January 2018 preparing for a Test series. They had given us a county ground for practice. The pitches were horrible. There was one center wicket on which we were practicing, but the side wickets at Western Province in Cape Town were far from ideal.

“Virat saw that nobody was batting on the wicket because it could be a bit dangerous. He quickly padded up, called Sanjay, Raghu, and myself, and said he wanted to bat."

He went on to add, “We tried to dissuade him (Virat Kohli), but he was adamant he wanted to bat on the surface. ‘I want it to be dangerous, I want to bat on this dangerous wicket and I want Raghu to bowl at his fastest.’ That is what he did. He did that every time. He put himself under severe distress in difficult conditions and ensured he overcame it. So he was honing his skill, he was also sharpening himself mentally.”