"It felt like I was playing a match against him" - Haris Rauf recalls being a net bowler against Virat Kohli
Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf recently recalled the time he bowled to Virat Kohli as a net bowler for the Indian cricket team. The 29-year-old said that it felt as if he was playing a competitive match against him, given the right-handed batter's sharp concentration levels.
The right-arm speedster served as Team India's net bowler during their tour of Australia in 2018-19, helping them prepare to face the Aussie fast bowlers. Rauf went on to play for his country's national team, making his first appearance in 2020 and is now one of Pakistan's first-choice bowlers in white-ball cricket.
Speaking in ESPNcricinfo’s documentary The Incredible rise of Haris Rauf, the Pakistani bowler said:
"When I was a net bowler for the Indian team and was bowling to Virat Kohli, I felt like he knew exactly where the ball was going to hit his bat. He was very focussed and that showed how sharp his concentration was. Even during practice sessions in the nets, it felt like I was playing a match against him, despite being a net bowler. His remarkable control and intensity made me realise why he has such a reputation in the game."
Since then, both cricketers have enjoyed memorable battles, including in the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
"I don't think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling" - Haris Rauf
During an interaction with Cricwick last year, Rauf recalled Kohli's knock of 82* at the MCG, stating that anyone other than Kohli hitting those two sixes would have hurt him.
"The way he [Kohli] played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don't think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling. If Dinesh Karthik or Hardik Pandya would've hit those sixes, I would've been hurting but those came off Kohli's bat and he is a different class altogether."
The Melbourne Stars pacer admitted that Kohli hitting him for a six off the back of a length delivery left him stunned.
"Since 28 were required off eight balls, I had bowled three slower balls and he was deceived. I had only bowled one quick ball out of four. So the idea was to bowl a slower one on that back-of-a-length zone since the boundary was larger on the square side. I had no idea that he can hit me down the ground off that length. So when he hit that shot off me, that's his class. My plan and execution was fine but that shot was all class."
The former Indian captain's unbeaten 82 helped the Men in Blue successfully chase down 160 with six wickets to spare in the 2022 T20 World Cup.