Virat Kohli seeks former batting coach Sanjay Bangar's help for Ranji return

After a string of low scores in the red ball format, Virat Kohli is following the SOP mandated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and has green signalled his return to the domestic cricket for the first time since 2012 to hone his skills. The right-handed batter was reportedly struggling with the neck sprain and had to miss Delhi’s Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game against Saurashtra. 

Delhi will be playing their last league game against Railways and former India captain is seen practising in the nets for the same. One particular aspect of his practice that has caught attention is former India batting coach, Sanjay Bangar assisting him in his prospects of returning to form. It is worth noting that, in the last nine innings, the 36-year-old has scored just 190 runs with one century in Perth.

According to NDTV Sports, Bangar has been the go-to man for the Indian team in his five-year stay with Men in Blue and several players along with Kohli have benefited from his coaching. The right-handed batter has sought the former coach to get out of from the clumsy phase.

“When Kohli's feedback was sought post 2019 World Cup, he had given a glowing certificate to Bangar, stating that as a batter, he had benefitted a lot from his technical inputs during all those years," a senior BCCI official had said as quoted by NDTV Sports. 

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Sanjay Bangar coached Indian team for five years

The change on coaching staff has affected the Indian batting set-up and particularly Kohli who had scored just two centuries since the end of Bangar’s reign in Indian coaching set up. The BCCI has roped in Vikram Rathore to replace Bangar post World Cup 2019. As Kohli was the captain of the side during the World Cup 2019, when BCCI sought his feedback, he had highlighted the veteran’s coaching impact on the team.