Considering Kohli’s performance against the arch-rival team, he goes a notch higher while facing the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. It was seen during a sensational show in Melbourne last year in the T20 World Cup. So eyes are bound to get glued on how Kohli will play the Pakistani pacers in the Asia Cup on 2 September at Kandy’s Pallekele International Stadium.

Last Monday, in the presence of India skipper Rohit Sharma, the newly-appointed BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar announced India’s 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, along with a traveling reserve in Sanju Samson.

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As bits and parts of the press conference were shared on social media, some users highlighted a segment that never took place. It was like Agarkar, on being asked how India plans on tackling the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and other Pakistan speedsters, said: “Kohli will take care of them”.

However, in reality, such a question wasn’t even asked.

Meanwhile, falling prey to the gaffe, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan showed his unhappiness with the claim. Following a 59-run win against Afghanistan in the third ODI in Colombo, when asked about the claim, Pakistan’s Shabad said mere words don’t hold true and that the truth of it will only be seen on the matchday.

“It depends on a particular day, probably. Now, someone from India or I can make any claim, but those are just words. Anybody can say anything and that doesn’t change or affect anything. When we will have the match, then we might see what goes on,” Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.

India’s Virat Kohli faced Pakistan only in T20I contests since 2019 and scored 158 runs in 110 balls against the pacers, including Naseem Shah, Shaheen, Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani. Kohli has only been dismissed once, by Shaheen in the 2021 T20 World Cup, after scoring a fifty.

Updated: 27 Aug 2023, 03:09 PM IST