Virat Kohli bowls in the nets ahead of 1st India-Australia T20I in Mohali, see photos – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

India’s star batter Virat Kohli has been seen rolling his arm several times, be it for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League or in the Indian outfit. He has already got 4 IPL wickets and 8 international wickets (4 in T20Is and 4 in ODIs) to his name.

Back in 2019, Kohli announced that he would never be able to bowl in the international circuit due to his back issues. However, the right-arm bowler took responsibility in the recently-concluded Asia Cup against Hong Kong. There are some speculations buzzing around that fans could watch Kohli as a bowler again in the upcoming T20I series against Australia starting on Tuesday.

The practice session ahead of the opening T20I against the Aussies gave few signs of the same. The former captain of India spent some time with the bat while facing some short pitch stuff from Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah in Mohali. Then, he went on to bowl with his cross-legged action for more than 30 minutes. Media reports suggest that the right-arm bowler successfully troubled Axar Patel a few times and then burst into the iconic Kohli celebration. Head Coach Rahul Dravid was spotted keeping his experienced eyes on him.

Punjab Cricket Association shared some glimpses of Kohli’s bowling session on their official Twitter. Since the post grabbed the eyeballs of Indian fans, many of them went on to predict seeing Kohli as the sixth bowler of the side during the preparatory series ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Kohli’s presence in the side has been a huge confidence booster for other members, especially the youngsters. His fitness level at the age of 34 is something that can motivate other players immensely. On Monday, he also spent some fitness sessions with others, joining them for a push-up challenge.

Previously, skipper Rohit Sharma, during a press conference, noted that the management has been considering Kohli as the side’s third opener after KL Rahul and him. Kohli can be seen pairing with Sharma in the opening slots during the Australia and South Africa series. However, Sharma also cleared the fact that the side would not do such an experiment in the major ICC tournament. So, Rahul will be the first choice as Sharma’s opening partner in the world cup.