WATCH: Virat Kohli signs autograph for young fan in Pune ahead of second New Zealand Test

IND vs NZ 2024: Virat Kohli signs autograph for young fan in Pune.

Ahead of India’s second Test against New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, star batter Virat Kohli took time out to sign autographs for some of his young fans.

The 35-year-old signed bats for two of his diehard fans and brought smiles to their faces. In the video shared, the youngster could be seen talking about his admiration for the legendary batter.

Also Read: Watch: Rohit Sharma signs autograph for fangirl in Pune, she says ‘Virat bhai ko bhi bolna’

Extremely necessary for Virat Kohli to spend time in the middle: Parthiv Patel

Meanwhile, the hosts are looking to bounce back from the defeat in the first Test at Bengaluru. India are in a challenging position after suffering an eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the opening Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Despite this setback, India maintains their pole position of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with 68.06% points in the 2023-2025 cycle.

The Rohit Sharma-led side requires five wins from their remaining seven matches to secure a spot in the WTC final without relying on other results. The team is scheduled to play two more Tests against New Zealand, followed by a five-match Test series in Australia.

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel recently opined on Kohli’s performance and pointed out the importance of his time at the crease during the Bengaluru Test.

“It was extremely necessary for Virat Kohli to spend time in the middle. You said it correctly, he had not played Test cricket for a long time. He didn’t play in the England series and didn’t get that much opportunity against Bangladesh. There is no doubt that he is a very big player. However, no matter how big a player you might be, you need to play matches to get your rhythm,” Patel told Colors Cineplex.