Virat Kohli Turns to Sanjay Bangar as He Struggles to Find Form

Virat Kohli, world cricket's erstwhile hegemon, is undergoing the most serious form slump in his glorious career. Batting maestro that he is, Kohli looked for solace from former batting coach Sanjay Bangar in an effort to get into his rhythm and finesse. It's the turning point in time because Kohli will resume playing for Delhi in their final league Ranji Trophy match against Railways at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi, on January 30, 2025, after over 12 years of his cricketing stint.

Bangar had been a significant part of Kohli's successful years between 2014 and 2019 and is guiding the star batter once more. Most of his 80 international centuries came in that tenure. He and Bangar are the most fruitful Indian cricket has known at any partnership at the top. After the 2019 ODI World Cup where Bangar was batting coach of the national side, Kohli's form, particularly in Tests, has been patchy at best, for which he could score only one two hundred in the last five years.

One of the glaring reasons Kohli is struggling in the present arena is his technical error, especially failing with deliveries pitching around the off-stump corridor. This was exactly what happened during the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy when Kohli scored only 190 runs in nine innings. Heavy questions have been raised about his future with the national cricket team since Kohli failed to contend with deliveries rising or moving out of the off-stump.

Keeping all this in mind, Kohli rang Bangar before his Ranji Trophy game. This was done after the Board of Control for Cricket in India directed the centrally contracted cricketers to play in domestic cricket. Undermining all such talk of his leaving is Kohli's decision to go and see Bangar before a specific training session away from Mumbai.

This is the session conducted by Bangar on how Kohli can work on his backfoot, especially for those short, steeply rising deliveries. This particular session was going to be performed using a portable cement slab for simulating the delivery on the backfoot as Kohli typically hasn't been that strong, given that his front foot game is pretty known. A good amount of repertoire that he hasn't had comprises square cuts and square drives in backfoot play. The goal of this session was to help Kohli develop a more well-rounded batting technique, allowing him to play square of the wicket even when facing deliveries that don’t offer easy front-foot drives.

The change in Kohli’s approach is significant. Over the years, his game has been more front-foot dominant, with a preference for the cover drive, leaving fewer opportunities for backfoot shots. Through this, Kohli will look to take his depth as a batsman forward, more so in pitches where bounce and swing will present problems. And with the mental toughness and flexibility of Kohli, he can work into new shots and make them a part of his game.

Kohli is lined up to feature for his state side, Delhi, in their Ranji Trophy game against Railways as part of a larger strategy to regain form and confidence. National teammates have lined up to feature in recent Ranji Trophy games as they complete their "SOP duty" by participating in domestic cricket - Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja, among others. While Jadeja and Gill had good games, Kohli was missing from the final round because of a neck sprain, though his preparedness for this match against Railways reflects his intention to play his best cricket.

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association is expecting a huge turnout at the Kotla ground as nearly 10,000 spectators are to watch the match. As a testament to free entry at Ranji matches in Delhi for many years, the DDCA would throw open two stands to the public to meet the demand with Kohli, the superstar player.

Kohli is still seeking answers and has been willing to work closely with Sanjay Bangar, showing his commitment to improving his game. It is not just a matter of returning to form but also evolving his batting style to remain competitive at the highest level. Kohli will be under the spot light as he steps into Delhi, and the question remains of whether Bangar's work with him will re-capture his dominant mastery that had made him one of the world's most feared strikers.

This alliance with Bangar tells the story of that indestructible bond of trust and brotherhood between both of them which was created during Kohli's prime years when playing for India. Association, for the second time, can be the stepping stone towards unlocking the new chapter of Kohli's life since he continues to test himself in this modern age of cricketing demands.