"You'll be an average player.."- Mohammad Rizwan when asked about Virat Kohli

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has yet again expressed his admiration and respect for the Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli after playing a match-winning knock in the second T20I against Ireland at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin on Sunday, May 12.

Rizwan once again turned out to be a savior and hero for the Men in Green, as the 31-year-old batter played a remarkable knock of 75* from 46 balls laced with six boundaries and four sixes to help the tourists beat Ireland by seven wickets in the second T20I.

With this, the Pakistan cricket team leveled the ongoing three-match T20I series against Ireland. In this match, Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman (78 runs off 40 balls) shared a 140-run stand for the third wicket to help Pakistan bounce back in the T20I series in style.

Mohammad Rizwan makes history for Pakistan in T20Is

During his stunning innings, Rizwan became the sixth-highest scorer in T20I cricket, trailing Virat Kohli (4037), Rohit Sharma (3974), Babar Azam (3880), Martin Guptill (3531), and Paul Sterling (3510). Rizwan also has the most Player of the Match awards for Pakistan in T20Is after he earned the honor for his knock in the second T20I against Ireland.

The star wicketkeeper-batter surpassed Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, and Shahid Afridi, who all have 11 Player of the Match awards, with his tally of 12, and became the first Pakistani to have the highest Player of the Match award.

Meanwhile, Rizwan expressed his admiration for Kohli and hailed his influence on the Pakistani batters when he was told about the Indian batting legend and him being the only two batters to average above 50 in T20I cricket during the post-match presentation in Dublin.

We learned a lot from Virat Kohli: Mohamamd Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan said at the post-match presentation: “Virat Kohli is a good player and we learned a lot from him. I respect him. I don’t look at my numbers. If you look at the average and only focus on averages, you are an average player. If you look at the match situation and the conditions, then it’s better. You must play according to the demand of the situation in the match.”

Notably, Kohli has so far amassed 4037 runs across 109 T20I innings at an impressive T20I average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 138.15. On the other hand, Rizwan maintains a solid average of 50.38 in T20Is, where he has 3124 runs to his name in 82 innings at a strike rate of 127.92.

Speaking about his crucial partnership with Zaman, Rizwan noted: “It was not an easy chase because the Ireland bowlers knew their conditions better. They gave us a difficult time early on, but we decided that chasing 194, we have to attack. You're always under pressure when you lose, especially with the T20 World Cup 2024 around the corner.”

Ireland and Pakistan will play the series-deciding third T20I match on May 14 in Dublin. Then, the Men in Green will embark on their England tour, where they will play four T20Is before heading to the United States to participate in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.