IND vs NED: "Self-belief Is The Key To His Success" - Pakistan Former Captain Shoaib Malik Heaps Praise On Virat Kohli

India beat Pakistan by four wickets in the super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, October 23. Virat Kohli played an unbeaten innings of 82 runs off 53 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes. At one point, Virat Kohli was struggling with 12 runs off 21 balls, and he took his game to the next level with 71 runs off the next 32 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan asked to bat first and, with half-centuries from Shaan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed, they managed to post 159/8 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each. In the second innings, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah rattled the Indian top order, and the Men in Blue were restricted to 31/4 in 6 overs. But then Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya put on a 113-run partnership to consolidate the innings, and Pandya scored 40 runs before being dismissed in the last over.

Self-Belief Is The Key To Virat’s Success – Shoaib Malik

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik stated that Virat Kohli’s batting was the key to India’s success in chasing down the target against Pakistan.

“Self-belief is the key to Virat’s success. As a batter, if you are under pressure while chasing, but at one point, the opposition will also come under pressure. That is what Virat does; he takes the opposition in that zone, where you will break. And then he executes his A game,” Malik said during an interaction on A Sports.

“He assesses the situation like no one else; that’s why he is so successful while chasing,” he added.

Malik also discusses how Kohli checks all the boxes; he demonstrated all facets of his game while chasing and against Pakistan.

“Even if he is batting first, his average must be equally good. But in the chase, he ticks all the boxes, he rotates strike very well, he can hit the big shots, and the fascinating thing about his batting is that he plays shots in the gaps.

“He never panics, never changes his game, and you will hardly see him muscling the ball. He backs his game even when he is immensely under pressure,” said Malik.

Virat Kohli Had An Idea Of What The Bowlers Were Doing – Shoaib Malik

The veteran Pakistan all-rounder also lauds Virat Kohli’s six-hitting ability. When India needed 28 runs off 8 balls, Virat Kohli smashed two sixes off the last two balls of the 19th over against Pakistan in their Super 12 game, and he turned the game on its head.

Two maximums came off Haris Rauf, probably Pakistan’s finest bowler on the night, making them even more special.

“Look at Virat’s sixes. He was striking those at the end as if he is a power-hitter, which he is not. But the amount of balls he faced, he had an idea of what the bowlers were doing and how the pitch was behaving,” he said.

India will face the Netherlands in their second match of the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday, October 27 and Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe at the Optus Stadium, Perth on the same day.

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