Last Updated: July 13, 2026 11:37 AM
Edgbaston witnessed some serious hard work from India’s senior batters recently. Two of the squad’s biggest names put in extra hours quietly. What happened during that session says a lot about their mindset. Here’s a closer look at everything that unfolded there today.
Rohit Sharma Puts in the Hard Yards
Rohit Sharma went through a lengthy batting session at Edgbaston on July 12. The first ODI against England begins on July 14 in Birmingham. Two more matches follow, in Cardiff and then in London later.
Seven squad members trained together while others arrived from Southampton separately. Rohit started with fielding drills alongside coach T Dilip beforehand. He then moved into the nets once Gill, Kohli, and Rahul finished.
He struggled briefly against the quicks before settling into rhythm. He even asked the staff to open up the nets fully. That change helped simulate real match conditions much more closely.
A Near-Hour of Focused Batting
Rohit faced throwdown specialists Nuwan Senaviratne, Dayanand Garani, and Raghavendra during this drill. He kept finding the gaps through the offside repeatedly. His confidence grew steadily across nearly an hour of batting practice.
The session eventually wrapped up around 4:15 in the afternoon. Rohit arrives in fine form after India’s 3-0 sweep over Afghanistan recently. He scored 143 runs across that series at a strong average and healthy strike rate.
Against England specifically, he has scored 846 runs across 23 ODIs so far. His numbers there include three centuries and four half-centuries overall, with a top score of 137 not out.
Virat Kohli Trains Hard and Mentors Too
Virat Kohli also had a demanding session against India’s pace attack. He faced Jasprit Bumrah, Gurnoor Brar, and a local fast bowler. Early seam movement troubled him before he found his rhythm properly.
He looked far more comfortable once the spinners came into the attack. Kohli batted extensively alongside both Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. His timing sharpened noticeably as the entire session progressed further.
Afterward, Kohli once again mentored a younger teammate off the field. This time, young pacer Gurnoor Brar sought his valuable advice directly. It was a fitting end to a genuinely productive training day.
