When Virat Kohli endured his toughest phase as an international cricketer&mdash;the horrendous tour to England in 2014&mdash;he went straight to the indoor academy at the Bandra Kurla Complex to train with legendary Sachin Tendulkar. The result: A transformed Kohli.&nbsp;
The India captain was back at the same Mumbai Cricket Association nets on Thursday to prepare for the second Test against No.1-ranked New Zealand as unseasonal rain hampered preparations at the Wankhede Stadium for today&rsquo;s battle.
Barring a few players, the entire Indian team had a hit at the indoor facility. Although captain Kohli is not in a similar phase at the moment, the record-breaking batsman is in the middle of a 24-month century drought. His last international ton came in November 2019 during the day-night Test against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/virat-kohli-on-staying-with-rcb-i-did-not-have-any-second-thoughts-best-yet-to-come-23203139" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Kohli on staying with RCB: I did not have any second thoughts, best yet to come</a>
Kohli has had several fifties in the last couple of years, but the run-machine being without a century is unusual by his standards. He is joining the team after being rested for the three-T20I series against New Zealand and the first Test at Kanpur, which ended in a thrilling draw. He returns to a venue where he scored a majestic 235 against England in 2016. Kohli has scored 433 in six innings here and is looking forward to playing at one of his favourite venues. &ldquo;I really enjoy playing at the Wankhede, a ground where I have happy memories of. More than that [the double century], it&rsquo;s the impact you leave on the team that matters to me the most. That&rsquo;s precisely my focus every time I take the field. I want to do my best for the team in that situation. And if the situation demands to bat for a longer period and put the team in a dominant situation or get the team out of trouble, I take a lot of pride in doing that,&rdquo; said Kohli. &nbsp; He&rsquo;s had a quiet build-up to the second Test, practising with Sanjay Bangar, former India batting coach and currently head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, at the Brabourne Stadium. &ldquo;The idea was to get repetition and volume, which is important in Test cricket. It is about getting into that headspace that you want to play in a certain way in a certain format,&rdquo; he said about his preparation.&nbsp;
Kohli&rsquo;s assessment of the pitch? &ldquo;Typical&rdquo; Wankhede pitch&mdash;will not be a &ldquo;rank-turner or seam-friendly&rdquo; and all types of bowlers will have something to offer.&nbsp;
433 No. of runs scored by Virat Kohli in four Tests at Wankhede @ 72.16
Also Read: <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/i-hope-dravid-and-kohli-take-right-decision-and-dont-ignore-shreyas-iyers-performance-vvs-laxman-23203315" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Hope Dravid, Kohli don't ignore Shreyas's performance: Laxman</a>
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Skipper Virat Kohli, who slammed a double ton here in 2016, eyes big runs as India take on New Zealand in second Test starting today

Wankhede magic again?

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