Don’t think any batsman in the world other than Kohli could do that to our bowlers: Shadab Khan

Kandy, Aug 31 (IANS) Recalling Virat Kohli’s whirlwind 82 not out against Pakistan in the Men’s T20 World Cup match at Melbourne last year, Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan said he doesn’t think any batsman in the world other than the talismanic right-handed batter could do what he did to his team’s bowlers.

Kohli slammed an unbeaten 82 off just 52 balls to power India to an incredible four-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling Super 12 match in front of 90,293 fans at a sell-out Melbourne Cricket Ground, sharing a match-winning stand of 113 off 77 deliveries with Hardik Pandya to lift India from 31/4 to chasing 160 on the last ball.

“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 batsman, how they read each other’s minds, and it also depends on what the situation is.”

“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,” said Shadab to Star Sports.

India and Pakistan will be meeting in the Asia Cup on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, which also marks their first 50-over meeting after facing off in the 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup match in Manchester.

When asked about Pakistan’s strength, Kohli stated that the bowling line-up of the Babar Azam-led side is one to watch out for. 

“I feel bowling is their strength. And they’ve got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them.”

Kohli then delved into his unyielding quest for self-improvement and continuous growth as a cricketer. “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season. This is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team.”

“I don’t think you can perform consistently without that mindset, because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied and stop working hard. My motto has always been to ‘Chase betterment’, not excellence I would say, because I don’t know what the definition of excellence is. There is no limit to it, there is no set achievement that if you reach a certain stage, you’ve reached excellence.”

“I think I strive for betterment every day, so that is a better word to use and yes, performance obviously becomes a byproduct because your mindset is ‘How do I make my team win from this position? This will make me a better player, or this will get my team in a better position if I perform this way’. So this has always been my mindset.”

Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheem Shah Afridi said his game plan will be to target openers and middle-order batters in equal measure. 

“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.”