IND vs PAK 2022: "His body language didn't look like that of someone who's struggling"- Saqlain Mushtaq believes Virat Kohli is ready for Asia Cup
Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq believes Team India star Virat Kohli might have benefited from the break that he was given ahead of the 2022 Asia Cup. The 33-year-old wasn't in the greatest of forms and got almost a month of proper rest to rejuvenate before the important tournament.
The former Pakistan off-spinner observed the way Kohli trained with the team and felt the former Indian captain looked incredibly confident. The 45-year-old feels that though form wasn't on Virat Kohli's side, he certainly knows how to step up on the big stage and might just announce himself against Pakistan on Sunday.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, here's what Saqlain Mushtaq had to say about the Indian star:
"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."
Saqlain Mushtaq on Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi's absence
As coach of the Pakistan team, Saqlain Mushtaq agreed that left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi's absence is a big blow to his team. He believes that Jasprit Bumrah missing out due to an injury is an equally big blow to the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma "Shaheen Shah Afridi will be missed by Pakistan and Jasprit Bumrah will be missed by India because both the fastbowlers bring alot of quality in the bowling" #AsiaCup2022
However, Mushtaq also claimed that both teams aren't overdependent on any particular player to win a game. He stated:
"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."
Who will miss their ace fast-bowling weapon more, India or Pakistan? Let us know in the comments.