For young fast bowlers, bowling to Virat Kohli in the nets is often a dream. Consider yourself as a budding bowler who is making a name for himself with bustling speed and discipline. Now, you get a chance to bowl at Kohli, who is preparing for a Test series. That’s a serious opportunity and Gurjapneet Singh didn’t miss it! Tamil Nadu’s left-arm quick has recalled on the incident that left him with valuable insights.
When Gurjapneet beat Kohli in nets
Around the time of his Ranji Trophy debut, Gurjapneet was called up as a net bowler while India were preparing for their Test series against Bangladesh. The 21-year-old grabbed the chance, running in hard against India’s batting icon. To his own surprise, he managed to trouble Kohli repeatedly, even knocking him over.
“We were practicing, I was bowling well, he got beaten again and again, then I got his wicket… bowled,” Gurjapneet told Revsportz. “After the practice, he was very impressed with my bowling. After that we had a chat, he said, ‘You can use these kinds of small things, bowling from over the stumps, bowling round the stumps, again.’ I said, ‘Okay, I will keep working on it, keeping these things in my mind.’”
Gurjapneet often spoke about the moment he dismissed Virat Kohli in the nets, calling it one of the most surreal experiences of his career. After beating Kohli a few times, he finally bowled him, and what followed left the young pacer stunned. Kohli’s initial reaction carried frustration, which made Gurjapneet nervous, but he soon understood that the anger was not directed at him.
It was the champion batter being tough on himself, demanding perfection even in practice. A few deliveries later, Kohli stroked a straight drive and turned back with a smile, almost as if to acknowledge the bowler’s effort.
That hunger to learn has already started bearing fruit. A few months after his interaction with Kohli, Gurjapneet ran through Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy opener with figures of 6 for 22, dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara with a delivery shaped by those very lessons on angles.
