Picture Credit: Twitter
Before the monumental India - Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup, all eyes are set on former India captain Virat Kohli, who hasn’t been in form over this year. This dip in form has led to several cricketing experts criticising Kohli. But Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has come out and stood for Kohli as he hopes that he gets back to form.
Shadab Khan wants the Indian batter to score a century but not against them. He had an interesting reply during the press conference before Pakistan’s opening against India. “I pray that he returns to how he was. He is performing good even now, but the standards that he has set.. they make it feel as if he is out of form. I personally wish that he scores a century; not against us, but against some team else in this tournament,” Shadab said before breaking into laughter.
The all-rounder also called out former players, who have been brazen about their criticism of Virat Kohli. He said, “They (the former cricketers) don't play anymore, that's why they think that he doesn't instil fear. He is a legend of the game, he has performed quite a lot. Whenever he comes, you are a bit scared because he is a big player. We don't want him to play a long innings against us.”
In the press conference, Shadab Khan also talked about the injury suffered by Mohammad Wasim, who was ruled out of the Asia Cup because of a side strain he suffered during the practice session on Wednesday. Wasim’s injury further weakens the Pakistani pace attack, which doesn’t have Shaheen Afridi as he was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.
Shadab Khan said, “We will miss Shaheen and Mohammed Wasim. They are terrific players. But the beauty of cricket is that it is a team game, not an individual game. We will start afresh as this is a new match. What has happened is history now. We would like to perform the same way as we did. Definitely, we have a good team but it is not a champion team. We don’t worry about the result we focus on the game.”
