IND vs PAK 2022: "We can't handle such pressure" - Kamran Akmal on Pakistan batters cannot match Virat Kohli's 82*
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal said Pakistan cannot handle the pressure of chasing like Virat Kohli is used to. Akmal's comments came after India defeated Pakistan by four wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
In a high-octane clash of the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan set a moderate score of 160 after being asked to bat first on a bouncy track at the MCG. India were reeling at 54 for 4 at the halfway stage and were in dire need of an immense partnership to turn the tables.
Before the ignominy could find a place in the Indian dressing room, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya resurrected the sinking ship. Kohli, who was batting with 15 runs in 25 balls at one stage, soon turned into the aggressor's role.
When India needed 48 runs in their last three overs, Kohli struck a boundary off Shaheen Afridi to complete his fifty and followed it with two more boundaries to close the over on 17 runs.
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Although Haris Rauf put the pressure back on India, Kohli hammered two sixes in the last two balls to pull the equation to 16 runs in the final over.
He dispatched a high full toss off Mohammad Nawaz into the stands to relieve the pressure. Those extra runs in wides and no-balls helped India to seal a comfortable win in the last three balls.
While talking about Kohli's marvelous innings against Pakistan, Kamran Akmal said Pakistan's batters could not replicate it in crunch situations.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal said:
"If there was any other batter in his place, the match would not have come this far. Honestly, if this was our (Pakistan) batting we would have lost it by 30-40 runs. We can't handle such pressure."
Akmal further mentioned that emerging cricketers from Pakistan in different age groups should take a cue from Kohli's 82*.
"I think all our young boys (in Pakistan) who are playing in U15 and U19 camps should be shown the entire innings of Virat Kohli. They will get coaching from watching his innings and how he finished the match," he added.
"Nobody can do that" - Kamran Akmal on Virat Kohli's straight six off Haris Rauf
Akmal was in awe of Kohli's classic shots against a quality pace bowler like Haris Rauf. Speaking on those three sixes in the last two overs, Akmal said:
"The kind of shots he played against Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz in the last over. Only a batter of his stature can play something like this in modern-day cricket.The way Kohli smashed Rauf for a six straight down the ground, nobody can do that."
India will play their next match of the T20 World Cup 2022 versus the Netherlands at the SCG on October 27, while Pakistan play against Zimbabwe on the same day in Perth.