Virat Kohli's Bold Strategy to Counter Santner's Threat: Convenes Jadeja and Kuldeep Post Gambhir's Strategic Meeting

Virat Kohli was the main focus on Wednesday as India returned to training after their disappointing series loss against New Zealand in Pune last week. The team had a rigorous practice session at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the third and final Test match of the series will take place. The players are determined to avoid a historic whitewash on home soil, a feat that has not happened in 24 years.

Kohli has been dismissed by a spinner thrice in the two matches of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, two of which came against left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the second match in Pune. The spin variety has troubled the former India captain across formats off late, with nine dismissals coming in Test cricket in the last three years at an average of just 28.

Hence, when India took the practice session in Mumbai, Kohli, according to a report in The Indian Express, focused on tackling the left-arm spin threat. He unfurled the uncharacteristic reverse sweep against the spinners, then asked them to vary their length, while maintaining the off-stump line, and Kohli also unpacked a variety of shots against those deliveries.

As the training session progressed, Kohli upped the ante and took an aggressive route against the left-arm spin bowlers. He shimmied down the track for big shots and also executed the cut and pull shot each time a short-of-a-length delivery was dished out. However, when he reckoned that the net bowlers no longer troubled him, he summoned teammates Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.

At the start of the training session on Wednesday, after the players had completed their warm-up routines, they assembled for a team huddle, including the support staff. According to the report, Gambhir did most of the talking, although captain Rohit Sharma intervened a few times. After a brief time, only the players met again on the side of the nets, where Gambhir talked for about 20 minutes.

There have been a lot of pressure on the Gambhir-Rohit duo, having faced the brunt of the criticism after India's first Test series loss at home since 2012. New Zealand weren't considered a major challenge for India, especially after the home team's stupendous show against Bangladesh last month and after Sri Lanka had blanked the Kiwis 2-0 in a series last month. Yet Tom Latham's men, who did their homework, managed to pull off a stunner to not only hand India a loss, which laid the blueprint for visiting teams in the country, but also left their qualification chances for the World Test Championship final in a tricky spot.