Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq stated that Indian ace batter Virat Kohli might have benefited from the break he took ahead of the 2022 Asia Cup.
He observed that the way Kohli trained with the team, he looked incredibly confident. The 45-year-old feels, though Kohli wasn’t in best of his forms but the Indian batter has the caliber to step up on the big stage and play with a bang against Pakistan.
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The 33-year-old took a break after the England series and didn’t feature in West Indies and Zimbabwe series. He was going through a lean patch and now coming after a month’s break, all eyes will be on him.
While speaking exclusively with Sportskeeda, Mushtaq said,
“Virat’s form wasn’t great in his last few games. But when I saw him training on the ground yesterday, his body language didn’t look like that of someone who’s struggling. This is the true sign of a big player. He has dominated world cricket and will have good memories of the execution that he has done over the years. He is just waiting for the right chance where he unleashes all his skills.”
Along with commenting on Kohli’s form, Mushtaq admitted that left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s absence will be a big blow to his team. He further added that even Indian team are facing Jasprit Bumrah’s void.
However, he also claimed that both the teams aren’t over dependent on any particular player to win a game.
He said, “No doubt they (Bumrah and Shaheen) are big players for both teams respectively. But you need to be prepared for each and every situation. The world will definitely miss seeing them in action as they’re both genuine wicket-takers and they bring a different energy with them into the team. So both teams will miss their pacers, but someone or the other will need to step up.”
India and Pakistan will lock horns with each other on Sunday (August 28) in the second match of Asia Cup 2022. The two teams will be facing each other after T20 World Cup 2021 and India would be eyeing to turn over their last time’s result and come with a bashing victory.
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