Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that the pressure will be on the Pakistan bowlers to stop the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli in the forthcoming Asia Cup, as he has found his lost form in recent times performing well for the Indian team, starting from the Asia Cup 2022.
The Men in Blue will rely on the prolific Indian batter Virat Kohli to come good against the arch-rivals Pakistan, as he holds a brilliant record against the Men in Green in the big tournaments producing some memorable performances for the team in recent years.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s MCG heroics helped India to secure a thrilling win over Pakistan, as the Men in Blue came from nowhere to chase down the total in the final over.
Speaking to the media, Mohammad Kaif recalled the match-winning knock against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he took the responsibility of finishing the game for the Indian team in the closely fought encounter and believes that his performance in the T20 World Cup is due to his brilliant form starting from the Aisa Cup 2022 and feels that Pakistan bowlers will be wary of the threat from the former Indian skipper in batting.
“In my opinion, Kohli’s performance in Australia at the T20 World Cup, against Pakistan, was magnificent, Virat Kohli is a brilliant batsman when it comes to playing against Pakistan. He takes full responsibility and is a chase master,” Mohammad Kaif said.
“The form that he had in that World Cup was because of his performances in the Asia Cup (2022), starting from that century he hit against Afghanistan.
“He had a dry run before that, but after his performances in the Asia Cup, he did not stop, he won matches, even the match against Pakistan in Australia. Those memories will still linger in the minds of the Pakistani bowlers,” Mohammad Kaif added.
Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter across the three formats of the game, his domination in ODI Cricket has been of a different level altogether. The 34-year-old has smashed three ODI hundreds in 2023 and will look to continue his form going into the Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023.
The Pressure Will Always Be On The Bowlers – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif feels that Pakistan bowlers would be aware of how big the wicket of Virat Kohli in the Asia Cup 2023, as he will be the mainstay of India’s batting in the middle order, and asserted that the Men in Green will be under the pump once Virat Kohli gets set in the middle.
“They will be wary of Kohli and know what a big wicket he is. They will know that if they get him out, the match becomes a lot easier. But the form he is in, the pressure will always be on the bowlers,” Mohammad Kaif added.
Pakistan have one of the most lethal bowling attack in world cricket, as they have got Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi in the pace bowling, with all-rounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz taking the spin bowling duty in the team.