The stage of career Virat Kohli is in, he doesn't needs a lot of practice: Vikram Rathour

India's batting coach, Vikram Rathour, came up with a fascinating remark on ace batter Virat Kohli after the end of the opening day's play of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park Stadium in Centurion on December 26. After being invited to bat first, the Rohit Sharma-led side reached 208/8 at Day 1 stumps with KL Rahul (70*) and Mohammed Siraj at the crease. 

Kohli went to play the opening Test with just one net session while Rathour stressed that the former captain doesn't need too much practice given the stage of his career. Notably, the 35-year-old opted out of the three-day intra-squad practice game at Tuks Oval in Pretoria in order to spend time with his family in the UK for four days.

"The stage of his career Virat (Kohli) is, I don't think he needs a lot of practice. He bats a lot and trains a lot. So, if he practiced a few days less, doesn't matter much. We saw, how well he was playing. It didn't seem he was away from red-ball cricket for six months. It's a good sign," the 54-year-old said after Day 1 stumps.

Speaking about the opening Test, India failed to make a good start, losing three wickets in the first 12 overs. Kohli and Shreyas Iyer looked to produce crucial partnerships, but fell on 38 and 31 runs, respectively. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who is also taking up the wicketkeeping role, played a pivotal knock of 70* off just 105 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries and two maximums. Meanwhile, given his performance, Rathour stated that the 31-year-old is capable of handling pressure well.

"Rahul is turning out to be the man of crisis for us. Every time, there are tough situations, he is the guy who handles it well for us. Nothing special, he was clear with his game plans, defended the right balls, attacked the right ones," the former cricketer said.