Virat Kohli supports the bowlers always: Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini is one of the most promising fast bowling talents in India. So far, the fast bowler has played 5 ODIs and 10 T20Is in his international career. A year after his breakout season in the IPL, Saini has been an impressive pacer in the international arena for the Indian team.

Speaking to the news agency The Tribune, Navdeep Saini spoke about the way skipper Virat Kohli inspires the bowlers and also regularly interacts with his players, which has boosted their morale to produce good results. "Virat bhai supports the bowlers, always."

The Karnal-born bowler also recollected his experience of playing under him for the first time in the Indian Premier League 2019 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. "I have played under him at Royal Challengers Bangalore and now with the Indian team. The good thing about him is that he keeps communicating with the bowlers. There are always chats about bowling plans and what fields to set. This is a great encouragement for a young bowler like me."

When the 27-year-old was asked about the biggest challenge he's faced so far, he went back to his ODI debut game against the Windies. "It would be my ODI debut against West Indies in Cuttack. It was a little tough for me. I was picked up straight from a Ranji match and asked to join the team."

"You don’t get the time to adjust... One day I was playing with the red ball, the very next day after nets with the white ball, I was told I was playing! It was a little different, but thankfully things went good for me in that match," he further added.

During these challenging times, when the country went under lockdown, we saw a plethora of cricketers set up gyms and fitness facilities in their homes to keep themselves fit in this unexpected break.

"The first thing I did (as the lockdown was imposed) was to set up a gym in my house. I used to go to our farm, where I would do my running exercises. Since the government allowed opening of stadiums and training centres for sportspersons, I visit Karan Stadium to do running and also go to Cricket Academy of Karnal for practice," said Saini. 

"We haven’t been told about how things will start again, but we are in touch. He (Bharat Arun) keeps asking about what I’m up to, what I’m doing to stay fit. He is keen for me to keep doing running drills," he added.