Ace India batter Virat Kohli is all set to return to competitive cricket after almost a six-week hiatus when India clashes against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 opener on Sunday (August 28) in Dubai.
Kohli’s batting form has been in a slump for a long time and has had a string of poor performances on the pitch. However, the star batter has got the knack of coming alive in big matches. Pakistan’s veteran spinner Yasir Shah seems well-versed with this and warned his team not to underestimate Virat Kohli in the Asia Cup match.
In an interview with PakTV, Yasir said, “Don’t take Virat Kohli easy. Yes, he might not be in form because he is struggling to score runs, but he is an absolute world-class player and he can come back to form at any time."
Kohli has an excellent track record against Pakistan in the shortest format of the game. He has amassed 311 runs at an astonishing average of 77.75 in seven T20I matches. In fact, Kohli smashed brilliant half-centuries in the last two T20 World Cup fixtures against Pakistan in 2016 and 2021.
The former India skipper was the only batter in the star-studded batting lineup of India to stand up against a lethal Pakistan bowling unit in the last T20 World Cup in 2021. Kohli battled it out and managed to score 57 runs while propelling India to post a total of 150 runs on the board. However, his valiant efforts went in vain as Pakistan easily secured their first ever World cup win against India by a 10-wicket margin.
The 33-year-old had an underwhelming excursion in the two T20Is he played against England earlier this year, managing abysmal scores of one and eleven. He was then rested for the West Indies and Zimbabwe limited-overs series.
Nonetheless, India will be hoping that their batting superstar would return to top-form in the Asia Cup. The Babar Azam-led side will be wary of the threat that Virat Kohli possesses. The absence of their premier pacer Shaheen Afridi might just make matters worse for the team when they take on India.
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