"Virat literally changed the dressing room mindset": Bharat Arun

Bharat Arun and Virat Kohli

Known for his intensity and an unrelenting desire to win, Virat Kohli never liked practice matches and instead preferred net sessions on the ‘spiciest' wicket with pacers having a go at him from 16 yards, former India bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed on Tuesday.

Arun, who was part of the core coaching group during Kohli's golden years as India captain, described those times as the ‘best moments' of his career.

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"Indian and world Test cricket will miss him and his persona. He respected the format more than anything else. I have spent some of my best moments as India's bowling coach with Virat Kohli as captain," Arun told PTI.

"He never liked practice matches. He always felt the intensity was missing and never really enjoyed it. Instead, he'd want to spend more time at the nets and would choose the spiciest wicket and get bowlers to bowl at him from 16 yards," Arun added.

Recalling a ‘pivotal moment' before the 2018 Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne with the series locked at 1-1, Arun said, "Virat literally changed the dressing room mindset. He made everyone believe that we could do it and went about his business as leader in a manner unrivalled."

India won that Test and sealed a historic series victory, their first on Australian soil.

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