"Virat Kohli will be very dangerous against Pakistan" - Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif reckons that senior Indian batter Virat Kohli will be very dangerous against Pakistan. The arch-rivals will clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2. They will also meet in the ODI World Cup on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Kohli was the standout performer when India and Pakistan met last year during the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Men in Blue were chasing a target of 160 and Kohli hammered a superb 82* off 53 balls as India clinched a last-ball thriller by four wickets.
While discussing the iconic match, Kaif told Star Sports that the 34-year-old is brilliant when it comes to playing against Pakistan.
"Kohli's performance in Australia at the T20 World Cup, against Pakistan, he played magnificently. And he is a brilliant batsman when it comes to playing against Pakistan. He takes full responsibility and is a chase master," he stated.
The form that he had in that World Cup was because of his performances in the Asia Cup (2022), starting from that century he hit against Afghanistan," Kaif added.
The 42-year-old further stated that since Kohli faced a lot of bowling from Pakistan in the last T20 World Cup match, he would have a fair idea of what to expect.
"The fact that he has played the Pakistani bowlers in their last match at the T20 World Cup, he will know how every Pakistani bowler bowls, whether it is Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, or Haris Rauf," the former India batter explained.
"Virat Kohli will be very dangerous against Pakistan," he added.
Before the 2022 T20 World Cup, India were hammered by Pakistan by 10 wickets during the 2021 edition of the competition in the UAE.
How Virat Kohli scripted the famous MCG epic
Set to chase 160 in the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan last year, Team India got off to a horrendous start, losing four wickets for 31 runs. KL Rahul (4), Rohit Sharma (4), Suryakumar Yadav (15) and Axar Patel (2) were back in the hut cheaply.
Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37) then featured in a 113-run fifth-wicket stand to lift the batting side. Kohli went absolutely berserk at the death and ended up hitting six fours and four sixes in his brilliant effort.
Team India needed 48 runs off the last three overs, but Kohli’s incredible hitting saw them sneak home off the last ball.