How India’s Cricket Star Virat Kohli Prepares for New Zealand Series After a Fiery Encounter with Gurjapneet Singh
India’s cricket team is set to face New Zealand in a highly anticipated three-match Test series, with the first match taking place at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 16, 2024. This Test series holds significant weight as India aims to secure its spot in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 final. One of the key players under the spotlight is none other than Virat Kohli, whose current form has been a talking point among cricket fans and experts alike. While Kohli has had a mixed year so far, an interesting encounter with Tamil Nadu pacer Gurjapneet Singh in the nets has caught the attention of cricket enthusiasts across the nation.
Gurjapneet Singh’s Rising Star: The Pacer Who Angered Virat Kohli
Tamil Nadu’s pace sensation, Gurjapneet Singh, made headlines recently for his outstanding performances in the Ranji Trophy, as well as his experience bowling to Virat Kohli in the nets. Born in Ambala, Gurjapneet moved to Chennai to pursue better cricketing opportunities after struggling to break into the Punjab age-group teams. His persistence paid off when he helped Tamil Nadu secure a crucial victory over Saurashtra with a remarkable six-wicket haul. However, it was his encounter with Kohli during a practice session for the India-Bangladesh Test series that drew widespread attention.
In an interview, Gurjapneet recounted how he bowled Kohli out in the nets, leading to a heated reaction from the former Indian captain. According to Singh, Kohli was visibly angry after losing his wicket, but the pacer quickly realized that Kohli was more upset with himself than with the bowler. Despite the tense moment, Kohli offered Gurjapneet valuable advice on how to bowl to experienced batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson, further highlighting Kohli’s sportsmanship and leadership qualities.
Virat Kohli’s Form and Test Record Against New Zealand
As India prepares for the series against New Zealand, Kohli’s current form has been under the microscope. So far in 2024, he has scored 395 runs in 19 innings across all formats, crossing the 50-run mark only once. With the India tour of Australia on the horizon, the New Zealand series presents an opportunity for Kohli to regain his touch with the bat. Kohli has a solid track record against New Zealand in Test matches, having scored 866 runs in 11 matches with an impressive average of 45.57.
His best performance against the Kiwis came in 2016 when he scored a career-best 211 runs during a Test match in Indore. Kohli has also hit three centuries and three half-centuries against New Zealand, and fans are eager to see him replicate such performances in Bengaluru. In this series, Kohli needs just 134 more runs to become the third Indian cricketer, after Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, to score 1,000 Test runs against New Zealand—a milestone he will undoubtedly be aiming to reach.
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