XtraTime Web Desk: Indian captain Virat Kohli on Monday revealed the reason why Indian batsmen have done well against fast bowlers all across the world in recent times. Kohli attributed the success to team’s throwdown specialist D Raghavendra better known as Raghu to his teammates.

Bangalore based Raghu can throw down balls in excess of 150-155 kmph which has helped the batsmen immensely to prepare against quality fast bowling.


"I believe the improvement this team has shown while playing fast bowling since 2013 has been because of Raghu," Kohli said during an Instagram Live session with Bangladesh star Tamim Iqbal.
"He has good concepts about footwork, bat movement of players. He has improved his skills so much that from sidearm he easily hurls the balls at 155 kmph.
"After playing Raghu in nets, when you go into the match, you feel there is a lot of time," Kohli added.
It is no surprise that Raghavendra has been a crucial member of the Indian cricket team's support staff for years now. He came into prominence when he gave throwdowns to Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.


Kohli, who is regarded as master of run chases revealed how he engineered the big chases in high pressure international games.
According to Kohli, "To be honest, I never doubted myself in game situations. Everyone who is human has doubts and weaknesses. Have their negatives. So in practice during tours, if you haven't had a good session you feel you don't have that flow.
"Yes, doubts creep in then and it's at the back of your mind. Key is to keep going and get into that zone till you feel that it was just distraction. If I believe I am good enough, then I am good enough."


The prolific scorer added, "Best part about match situation is that you don't need to think so much. You react to situations knowing your role.
Arguably one of the best batsmen to have played the game, Kohli said he had to change his approach to batting to suit his requirement, which comprised playing the ball along the ground instead of going over the top.
"I changed because I wanted to hit all around the ground. The static position was making my options limited. My basic funda of batting is that if your hips are in perfect position then you can play any shot. Static position wasn't working well for me,” said Kohli.


"But it works for a lot of players. Like Sachin Tendulkar had a static stance all his life and he never had a problem. His technique was far superior with excellent hand eye coordination.
"For me I had to change it accordingly to suit my needs. I tried little, little things in my batting as you would never know if you don't try."


Continuing, he said unless a player tries out new things in match situations, he would never be able to perfect them.
"… So my advice is even if you try a lot in practice do try out new things in one or two games to check if it works or not.
"Because if you execute it under pressure in match situations then you get a different kind of confidence. Practice prepares you but execution in match makes you confident.


"Key is to have an open mind when it comes to improvising. I hear a lot of players say this is my natural game and I play like this but if opposition figures you out, you have to improve and stay a step ahead. Learn, process information and execute," said Kohli.

Kohli reveals the reason why Indian batsmen are better prepared against fast bowling