Sanjay Bangar: Think Virat Kohli would look ahead to end century drought in Tests

Former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar feels India skipper Virat Kohli would be eager to end his century drought with regards to his recent form Kohlis last century came back in November 2019 Bangar also felt that Kohlis satisfaction comes from Team Indias great show in the longest format of the gameThe former India allrounder feels the rhythm Kohli displayed during the first innings of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand should stand him in good stead for the upcoming series against EnglandSpeaking exclusively on Star Sports show Cricket Connected former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar shares his thoughts on how things couldrsquove been different during the ICC World Test Championship Final Yeah definitely it could have been different With a threat of rain looming over all the time it doesnt really give players the freedom to go out and play for extended amounts of time Because obviously theres a break in concentration as well as the normal wear and tear of the wicket ndash that it generally undergoes if it has completed 450 overs of play Those are the other challenges as well So from that perspective I feel yes it does rob away some excitement some challenges that you would want to see in a test matchSanjay Bangar talks about what will be Virat Kohlirsquos next target He has already scored close to 7500 test runs and this is a format where he just simply gives it his all Its not that he doesnt value T20 or ODI cricket he plays with equal intensity but the job satisfaction that he derives ndash because this is the toughest format And in modern times because there are no dead rubbers so every test match is valued and every team is playing for a result This means that whatever is on offer ndash from a batting perspective ndash is always challenging for the batsman So to excel in each amp every test match and obviously to get over the drought of the threefigure ndash which may have been playing on his mind ndash I think this is something that he would look ahead to The way he has batted in the first innings was a clear indication of the kind of touch and the kind of rhythm that he was in So I think it augurs well for the Indian teamSanjay Bangar also spoke on Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravidrsquos cricket journey Well its invaluable and not only as players they have continued to contribute in whatever capacities they can They have been associated with Indian cricket in various capacities First as players It still gives goosebumps ndash like how both of them scored those runs in their debut Test matches Sourav obviously scoring those hundreds and Rahul when he was on 95 ndash making that decision to walk off when nobody appealed So that tells us a lot about their characters And from there on how somebody like Sourav Ganguly took up captaincy in a difficult phase of Indian cricket and then gave that belief and was forthright as a leader So he was the one who inspired that fighting spirit and India won a lot of overseas Test matches under him Rahul went from strength to strength Especially I was fortunate that I could play along with him in that phase wherein he was at his prime So from 2002 to 2006 he was batting as at his bestSanjay Bangar lavishes praise on Shafali Verma for her performance during her debut Test match Her Shafali Verma future can only be bright and the only way shes going to go from here is up and the sky is the limit Even though India play fewer Test matches but this was a fantastic opportunity and the way she approached the game was refreshing She played with a fearless attitude and put the opposition on the back foot straightaway This is very rare You mentioned how she resembles Sehwag in her approach and mind you if she continues to do that Since the time Sehwag started opening for the Indian team in overseas Test matches there was a huge difference in the eventual results of the matches And this could also propel the way Shafali Verma is playing If she continues to play in this fashion she can definitely chart some great and memorable victories overseas as well for the Indian womens teamInputs from ANIAlso ReadSunil Gavaskar predicts glorious English summer for Virat Kohli and CoCricket Connected now airs every Monday at 2 PM IST on the Star Sports Network The show has cricketing legends engage with fans through video calls discussing a range of topics