Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels Virat Kohli followed the template of Sachin Tendulkar by attacking the best bowler in the opposite team. Indian batting maestro was in sublime form against Mumbai Indians. He scored a brilliant knock of 82 off just 49 deliveries.
Irfan Pathan, who is currently part of Star Sports covering the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, on the post-match analysis, praised the RCB batter for his terrific knock against Mumbai citing the example of legendary Sachin Tendulkar who used to take on the top bowlers during his playing days.
“Great players do that. Sachin Tendulkar used to do that. He used to target the big bowlers in the opposition team, whether it was Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne, we have seen that repeatedly. Virat Kohli is also a player of the same stature. So he says that he will try to do even better when confronted with a challenge,” Irfan Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan asserted that Virat Kohli always loves the challenges, and added that the RCB batter came over the top against Mumbai Indians’ leading pacer Jofra Archer.
“I was personally excited to watch the face-off between Jofra Archer and Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli won that contest this time. There was a chance on the first ball but after that, he didn’t look behind. Only Jofra Archer was turning back as the ball was going beyond the boundary line.”
Coming into the match, Mumbai Indians found no match to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as their team was well on top in all three departments. Mumbai pacers Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, and Arshad Khan could not make an impact with the new ball for the five-time champions.
Virat Kohli Is A India’s Huge Superstar – Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan lauded former Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his comeback from the slump in form. The stylish right-handed took some time away from the game just before Asia Cup 2022 and returned to form from there on, he scored 5 centuries in international cricket.
“He is India’s huge superstar and he is shining now. He struggled last year. Everyone had empathy for him that he was not scoring runs, getting run out, not hitting the ball well, but he has moved forward leaving all that behind.” Irfan Pathan added
Virat Kohli stitched a 148-run partnership with his skipper Faf du Plessis to take his team to an epic win over Mumbai Indians in their opening game. Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their second game on April 6 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.