Virat Kohli draws praise from former Pakistani greats
Virat Kohli seems to have extended his fan base after a brilliant 49 against Pakistan in the first ever T20 Asia Cup. The match-winning knock came on a tricky pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, where most other batsmen from both sides failed to get going.
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Iconic Pakistani cricketers Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf are reportedly in complete awe of the ace Indian batsman for his special innings. However, they are equally disappointed by the fact that the Pakistan batsmen were unable to match up to Kohli's efficiency with the bat.
During an interview, one of Pakistan's earliest superstars, Hanif Mohammad said, "For years now India have produced a line of fine batsmen starting with Sunil Gavaskar and now Kohli. Because of the number of top batsmen they are producing Indian youngsters also gain inspiration from them."
Hanif also expressed his views on where the Pakistani batsmen were lacking when he stated, "All this talk about power hitting is fine but you have to learn to bat according to the conditions and opposition. Our batsmen need to give respect to the bowlers and conditions where necessary. They didn't do this against India and paid the price."
Javed Miandad was also among the ones impressed with Virat Kohli's work ethic. He said,"I think the Indian batsmen work very hard on their own game and are hungry for runs. Kohli is an example."
"No number of coaches can teach a batsman how to bat at the international level. It is for the individual to work on his game and gain inspiration and guidance from top players,", said Miandad speaking on the inability of the Pakistani batsmen to gauge the conditions at Mirpur on Saturday.
Mohammad Yousuf took a dig at Pakistan's current batting unit while going on to admire Kohli's stellar performance with the bat. He was quoted saying, "I think Kohli showed how to bat on such a pitch. Tell me on which good ball did our batsmen get out today. Our batsmen can only bat on batting pitches."
Yousuf, however, refused to blame the coaching staff for the debacle. He said, "No one can do anything not even a top mentor when the players are not willing to listen and learn. I think Virat Kohli is a good example of talent, temperament and technique which is why he is so successful in every condition."