In anticipation of the Indo-Pak clash in the course of the group stage of the Asia Cup, Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan reminisced about Kohli’s distinctive efficiency.
India and Pakistan are set to face off within the third match of the extremely anticipated Asia Cup 2023 version on Saturday, September 2nd, within the picturesque metropolis of Kandy. This clash between the 2 cricketing powerhouses will reignite their fierce rivalry, following a memorable encounter in final yr’s T20 World Cup 2022 version.
In that thrilling contest, each groups discovered themselves in the identical group, and their paths crossed on the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The match that unfolded was nothing quick of a spectacle, leaving followers on the sting of their seats.
India gained the toss and elected to bowl first, a choice that proved fruitful as Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh wreaked havoc, claiming three wickets every. Pakistan struggled to seek out their footing and will solely muster a complete of 159 runs for the loss of eight wickets.
When it was India’s flip to bat, they confronted an early setback, dropping 4 wickets with simply 31 runs on the board. However, the resilient duo of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya stepped as much as the problem, forging a exceptional partnership of 113 runs for the fifth wicket. Kohli’s unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 53 balls, mixed with Hardik’s quickfire 40 off 37 deliveries, breathed new life into India’s run-chase.
As the stress mounted, Kohli unleashed a flurry of beautiful strokes, showcasing his masterful batting abilities. With simply 4 wickets in hand and the match hanging within the steadiness, Kohli’s heroics guided India to an exhilarating victory on the final ball, leaving Babar Azam and his Pakistani teammates surprised.
In anticipation of the Indo-Pak clash in the course of the group stage of the Asia Cup, Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan reminisced about Kohli’s distinctive efficiency.
“He is a world class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him. Anyway, in international cricket, there are a lot of mind games, because you definitely have the skill to reach that level. But how you read each other’s minds, the bowler and the batter, how they read each other’s minds, and it also depends on what the situation is,” Shadab mentioned on the Star Sports present ‘Follow the Blues’.
“The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the World Cup, I don’t think that if any other batsman in the world was in that situation, could have done that to our bowling line-up. And the beauty of it is that he can do this at any stage and at any time,” the white-ball vice-captain added.
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