Even though the rivalry between India and Pakistan is arguably the biggest in world cricket, we have often seen cricketers of both the countries making friendly gestures for each other. Former India captain Virat Kohli had made one such heartening move by gifting former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir an INR 30,000 bat during a training session.
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On multiple occasions, Kohli has shared his love for batting gear. He once revealed that he keeps around 11 bats in his cricket kit for longer tournaments like the Indian Premier League. He currently uses MRF bats which are made specially for him according to his style of play. As any brand would do, MRF have made a special range of Kohli bats that can be bought on their official website.
Much like any other batter, Kohli constantly repairs his bats and reuses them as he does not want to use his fresh bats while practicing. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers also once said that he wants to steal some of Kohli’s batting equipment. Hence, Amir was certainly lucky to get one of those pieces of ammunition from Kohli’s arsenal from the man himself.
Virat Kohli, Who Keeps 11 Bats In Kit Bag, Once Gifted INR 30,000 Bat To Mohammad Amir
It all happened ahead of a high-octane India-Pakistan match during ICC World Twenty20 2016. Kohli was chatting with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi during a training session at Eden Gardens when Amir also joined the conversation.
Kohli then presented one of his willows to the left-arm pacer. Amir was elated at the same and was immediately seen doing shadow practice.
It was learned that Kohli had promised this gift to Amir during the Asia Cup played just before the World Cup. In the Asia Cup match, India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets, but Amir bowled a great spell.
Amir’s bowling figures of 4-0-18-3 impressed one and all including Kohli, who praised him for the same. Amir has been one of the few bowlers who have successfully troubled Kohli on a cricket pitch. In 60 balls against Amir, Kohli has scored 56 runs at the cost of three dismissals.
It was not the first occasion when an Indian batter gave a bat to a Pakistani bowler. Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar once gave his bat to former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis. Afridi then used the same bat to score the then-fastest ODI century against Sri Lanka in 1996.
Why Do Cricketers Carry Multiple Bats In Kit Bag?
There is no particular reason for the same and not every batter carries so many bats in a kit bag. Batters keep multiple bats in their kitty as per their requirement.
Recently, Australia vice-captain Steven Smith revealed his obsession with carrying multiple bats. Smith, 34, even numbers his bat so that he can identify which bat is for what purpose. Few of the batters keep bats of different weights that can be used as per different match situations. Additionally, some batters also have different bats for training and match purposes.
