It's a task to count the number of times the bystanders and the coaches shout ‘shot’ in the video below. It’s like watching the highlight package of a dreamy innings.

 

 

 

 

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More intense, more hungry than ever before, and more balanced, Virat Kohli speaks about his progress after two weeks of practice in the UAE ahead of Dream 11 IPL 2020. #PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers

A post shared by Royal Challengers Bangalore (@royalchallengersbangalore) on Sep 11, 2020 at 8:32pm PDT  

Patchy is not a word a cricketer likes to associate himself with, but there’s always a doubt after returning from the break. For Virat Kohli, it was not different. Going into his first session he was a little worried but as soon as he stepped out, the worry made way for confidence which has now gotten stronger, a little more than two weeks since the Royal Challengers Bangalore began training in Dubai.

“First few days you are just getting your eye in, getting back in the thick of things after five months is a bit different. You try and get back into the frame of mind that you usually want to be in when you are competing, takes a bit of time. So, I think heading into these sessions now where we are mostly batting in the middle, with hitting angles in the field and understanding the pace of wicket very happy with how the team is shaping up,” Kohli said after a session that saw him connect it to all parts of the ground.

But it is not just about the captain, but also how the team is gearing up for the challenges ahead. Kohli thinks that the approach that the team took for the players to get back to rhythm has been working well and the team is headed in the right direction.”

The guys are getting back into the intensity levels that we want. We don’t want to push anyone into a niggle or an injury, we realize it has been a while away from the game. So, I think we have moved ahead in a balanced manner. We did not want to be a maniac doing six sessions in six days. We gave the boys ample off time to the boys and we will continue to do in next sessions also, but from a fitness point of view everyone is looking great, everyone is in great shape.

On being asked how long will it take the players to get completely ready for the season, the captain offered a simplified answer. “It’s a matter of feeling good and I think I have felt good from the first session onwards. Obviously, there are few things that you try and rectify along the way and once you reach your optimum mindset as you enter competition, you just want to stay there as much as possible.”