“Don’t think any other batter could have done that”: Shadab Khan praises Virat Kohli

Cricketing fans from around the world wait with bated breath for the dream India-Pakistan clash. Yet another chapter to this storied rivalry is all set to be added when India takes on Pakistan at the Asia Cup on Saturday.

Pallekele: Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has recalled his team’s thrilling game with India at the 2022 T20 World Cup, which came down to the wire and praised ‘world-class player’ Virat Kohli for delivering a spectacular finish for India.

Men in Blue will take on Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in their Asia Cup 2023 opener on Saturday.

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On the cricket pitch, they are intense rivals, but India and Pakistan cricketers have enormous respect for each other and are not afraid to acknowledge each other’s talent. Whether it’s Virat Kohli or Babar Azam – two of the best batters of the contemporary age – players from both sides of the border have lavished accolades on each other in the past.

“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,” Shadab said on Star Sports.

Shadab admits without hesitation that no other batter in the world, other than Kohli, could have won from that position. Shadab admits that competing against someone of Kohli’s calibre necessitates extensive preparation and includes mind games.

“He (Kohli) 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 batsman, how they read each other’s minds, and it also depends on what the situation is,” he said.

The 23-year-old says he always aims for early wickets to put middle-order hitters under pressure who aren’t used to facing the new ball.

“In my opinion, my game plan is simple, every opener knows my game plan. The goal is to, as always, get the openers out to put pressure on the batting team. The middle order when they come in are not used to playing against the new ball as much as an opener. So there is a lot of pressure on the middle order to face the new ball,” he said.

Cricketing fans from around the world wait with bated breath for the dream India-Pakistan clash. Yet another chapter to this storied rivalry is all set to be added when India takes on Pakistan at the Asia Cup on Saturday.