Cement slab, rising deliveries: Sanjay Bangar's innovative approach to strengthen Virat Kohli's batting

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has been brought in by Virat Kohli to help him overcome his inability to handle growing length balls outside the off-stump. As he gets ready for Delhi's forthcoming Ranji Trophy match against Railways beginning on January 30, Kohli was recently seen working out with Bangar, the men's team batting coach from 2014 to 2018.

According to PTI reports, Bangar has been focusing on one specific issue: Kohli's inability to hit balls of good length that rise sharply outside the off-stump. The training session was recorded by a user on X (previously Twitter) at a facility that Bangar had established up close to Mumbai.

They delivered back-of-length deliveries that bounced off a temporary cement slab with wheels at the rear of the length (mid-pitch between 8 and 10 m) during the training. In order to simulate the speed of fast bowlers, Bangar offered throwdowns from 16 yards.

The workout aimed to enhance Kohli's ability to play shots square of the wicket, such as drives and square cuts. This collaboration between Bangar and Kohli is not new; Bangar has previously worked with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team and is credited with helping Kohli achieve his best form from 2016 to 2018.

“When Kohli’s feedback was sought post-2019 World Cup, he had given a glowing certificate to Bangar, stating that as a batter, he had benefitted a lot from his technical inputs during all those years," a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Against Australian bowlers, who have dismissed him in that region eight times out of nine innings (he was not out in one of those), Virat Kohli's struggles outside the off-stump have been particularly apparent.

Kohli has plenty of time to work on this technical issue because India's next Test match is not until June. After the Ranji Trophy, he may be less susceptible to swinging deliveries that force him to play the cover drive and run the risk of edging the ball, but he still struggles with length balls that rise rapidly. Even in ODIs, fast bowlers have previously exploited this particular weakness.

Square cuts and square drives, two essential shots for a batter when they rock back to deliveries bowled at the back of a length and on the channel outside the off-stump, are not frequently seen when looking at Kohli's wagon wheel over the years. Learning a new set of strokes would not be difficult for someone with a strong mental fortitude.

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