Ravichandran Ashwin couldn't control his excitement as the veteran India off-spinner welcomed Virat Kohli back into the dressing room by imitating his reverse sweep after India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the 2nd Test at Kanpur to complete a 2-0 sweep on Tuesday. Kohli, who rarely plays the sweep shot, executed one to perfection, collecting a boundary off the bowling of Mehidy Hasan Miraz, but perhaps it was the oddity of the shot and the euphoria of the result combined that prompted Ashwin to steal a page out of Virat's book. Usually, it's Kohli who is seen aping his teammates and their mannerisms, but for a change, he was at the receiving end of an exaggerated Ashwin impression just as he was making his way back after steering India to a famous win.

It's not like Kohli doesn't play or like the sweep shot. It's just that he doesn't rely on it too often. Which is why when he does it, everyone stands up and takes notice. For example, when on Day 5 Kohli swept Mehidy for his first boundary of the innings, the commentators couldn't keep calm. Athar Ali Khan in particular went ga-ga over the fact that 'Kohli had played a sweep shot'. That is when Murali Kartik provided some insights: "He doesn't not play it at all. He just doesn't execute it as much as the other shots".

And it's fair enough too, right? You'd never see Kohli play the lap shot or something that Rishabh Pant does. Lately, Virat Kohli has started playing the reverse sweep and the slog sweeps a lot more as he seems to be enjoying his time out batting. The sweep wasn't the only exciting shot Kohli played today. He even used his feet against left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, smashing him for a couple of boundaries in one over. After scoring an entertaining 47 in the first innings, Kohli built on it and stayed not out on 29 off 27 balls to see India through. This was the most assured he's looked batting for India since the T20 World Cup final.

What next for Virat Kohli?

After a 15-day break, Kohli will return to national duty staring October 16 when India host New Zealand for a three-Test series. Gaining more confidence with each innings, Kohli will return to his IPL home ground of the Chinnaswamy Stadium as Bengaluru hosts the series opener. With Team India set to tour Down Under in November to face Australia in a five-Test series for the prized Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India needs Kohli to get a big one and be firing on all cylinders.

Kohli looked like a million bucks during the tour of South Africa at the start of the year and during the IPL 2024, and would need every bit of his effort to rekindle that form heading into Australia. Kohli has the best record against Australia in Tests among all active cricketers, having scored 2042 runs from 25 matches at an average of 47.49 and eight centuries, but having missed being part of India's triumph in 2021, this edition of the BGT could be his last in Australia. All the more reason for him to be fiercely motivated.

Ashwin equals Muttiah Muralitharan

Ashwin was named Player of the Series for scoring 114 runs and picking up 11 wickets across Chennai and Kanpur Tests. This was his 11th Player-of-the-Series honour, levelling with the great Muttiah Muralitharan, the most by any player in the history of Test cricket.

"I don't think about comparisons. But honestly, I think it's a great milestont to get to. I am very pleased because at the end of the game you are playing a game that you love and you want to take back something when you finish it. But these numbers are something that's coming as a result of the joy I am putting into this game. I will go back and saying I am loving the game. I am very glad and pleased but honestly not something I am motivated by anymore," he said after India's win.

Read Also: Gambhir, Rohit survive Kanpur scare as New Zealand stand between India and a WTC final ticket after Bangladesh sweep

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