As IQ states, taken from sportsbetting.org.in:
Virat Kohli plans of using lighter bats and leg guards to tackle the Australian bowlers. The 26 year old cricketer is preparing to face the additional pace and bounce wearing traditional leg guards which have steel buckles to ensure a better grip. As much as 10 bats would be carried by the player out of which six are new. These new pieces are customized by shifting the sweet spot at the centre. The four match test series begins with the 1st test in Brisbane on 4th December.
The young cricketer would be using specifically designed batting gloves for a firm grip on thin bat handles. It helps him play the blistering cover drives that rank him among the most intimidating batsmen in world cricket. He last played in Australia in the year 2011-12. Over the course of four test matches that he played, the right hander scored a total 300 runs including a century at Adelaide.
Kohli aims to perform better in this test series. His new bats are manufactured up of high quality English willow. These are about 15 grams lighter compared to the ones he is using in the current ODI series. It was disclosed by vice president of Cornerstone Sports and Entertainment Private Limited, Aneesh Gautam. This is the same company which manages the cricketer. He is working with the player for three years, expressed Gautam during his interaction with Mail Today.
Gautam has been managing the players’ gear for almost 20 years. He said that Virat is looking for lighter bats that give good pick up. The willow was selected by Gautam himself from a Meerut factory. While playing in his country or other Asian destinations, the sweet spot lies in the bottom part which is heavier. For the upcoming Australia tour, the sweet spot is shifted to slightly higher portion. This is due to the ball climbing a bit higher owing to the bounce in pitches, expressed Gautam. He added that Kohli would be seeing these bats after the ODI series.
According to Gautam, he has arranged for eight bats for Kohli out of which the stand in captain would take five to six pieces. He would also take three of his previous bats presently used by the player. The remaining ones would be with Gautam as a back-up, expressed the vice president of the company. The traditional pad with buckles would be tried out by Kohli in the current ODI series.
Gautam explained the reasons of why these old fashioned pads are being preferred by Kohli. According to him, they give a stronger grip and hardly shift to cause discomfort to the batsman wearing them. These are long lasting to be able to survive four to five series and Kohli feels comfortable by wearing them. He would be using these pads for the first time in test games, expressed Aneesh Gautam. Kohli would be also wearing customized gloves with modifications in the palm region, leather and finger protections.