IND vs PAK: Virat Kohli Has Ruled Cricketing World For 12-15 Years, Won't Take Him Lightly - Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistan head Saqlain Mushtaq said his team won’t make the mistake of overlooking senior batter Virat Kohli, even though the latter has been out of form in the past few months.

The talk of Virat Kohli’s form before any cricket match featuring India is nothing but just a norm for the media industry.

There won’t be anything different when the defending champions take on bitter rivals Pakistan in their first game of the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday (August 28) in Dubai.

Virat Kohli vs Pakistan in T20Is

Kohli hasn’t played enough T20I cricket since India’s shocking exit in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup last year. The 33-year-old has featured in just four T20I games out of 24 India played since the start of the New Zealand series in November 2021. 

Kohli has a great track record against Pakistan in T20Is, having scored 311 runs in seven innings at an average of 77.75 with three half-centuries. 

You cannot take Virat Kohli lightly: Saqlain Mushtaq 

Mushtaq said Kohli has dominated in international cricket for more than a decade and will be eager to score runs against them. 

“You cannot take Virat Kohli lightly. Even if he isn’t in form, he has ruled the cricketing world for 12-15 years and is keen on a chance to score big. So he is definitely not someone who can be underestimated,” Mushtaq told Sportskeeda.

Mushtaq spoke about the important roles of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the two architects of Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India last year. The Pakistan head coach also mentioned the presence of vice-captain Shadab Khan. 

“Pakistan will definitely rely on Babar Azam. The world has seen his consistency and hopefully, he will continue to do so. Rizwan has a special formula and mindset for T20 cricket that has helped him top the charts in 2021. Shadab Khan is also capable of single-handedly winning the game with both bat and ball,” Mushtaq said. 

India and Pakistan are joined by Hong Kong in the Group A of Asia Cup 2022, the top two teams with most points will qualify for the Super 4 stage.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: World Class Player Like Virat Kohli Isn’t Affected By What People Say: KL Rahul