Kohli & Co sweat it out at nets ahead of first T20I

Mohali: Star batter Virat Kohli was among the first ones to head to the nets at the PCA IS Bindra Cricket Stadium here on Sunday even as the rest of the men-in-blue started with light drills ahead of the first T20 International against Australia on Tuesday.
Kohli, who got back to form with a scintillating century, his first since November 2019, in the Asia Cup encounter against Afghanistan, was seen stepping out against the spinners and practicing the pull shots off the quick bowlers in a gruelling 45-minute batting session.The outer view of the stadium complex was mostly filled by youngsters, trying to get a glimpse of the batting superstar getting match ready.
Kohli, who ended up as India’s highest run-getter in the continental event in the UAE, is expected to try a few innovative shots given the license from the team management to go all out in the six games preceding the World Cup Down Under. The Indian team is set to play another three-match T20I series against the touring South Africans (September 28 to October 4) after completing their assignment against the Kangaroos.
The Delhi batter could also be seen opening the batting on Tuesday as skipper Rohit Sharma had indicated that Kohli is the third opener in the World Cup squad and could be tried at the top in a few games leading to the showpiece event. Besides Kohli, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, skipper Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant were among the players present for the session. KL Rahul was on Sunday confirmed as the preferred opening partner by skipper Sharma for the World Cup.
After the Mohali match, India will head to Nagpur to play the second game on September 23, followed by the third and final T20I in Hyderabad on September 25.
PCA to unveil Yuvraj and Harbhajan stands before toss
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is set to unveil the stands named after two of its star cricketers, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, an hour before the match starts on Tuesday. The south pavillion has been named after off-spin great Harbhajan and north pavillion after 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj.