Asia Cup 2023: Virat Kohli, Shadab Khan on batting vs bowling battle in India-Pakistan

Virat Kohli believes the Indian cricket team will need to be at their absolute best to face Pakistan’s high quality bowling attack when they face off on Saturday in the Asia Cup. “I feel bowling is their strength. And they’ve got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them,” Kohli said during an interview with broadcaster Star Sports. Kohli comes into the clash with 554 runs from 13 matches since last December at an average of 50.36.

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Talking about his approach, Kohli said, “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team.” “I don’t think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied and stop working hard. There is no limit to it.” “There is no set achievement that if you reach a certain stage, you’ve reached excellence. I think I strive for betterment every day, so that is a better word to use, and yes, performance obviously becomes a by-product because your mindset is How do I make my team win from this position?” Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan acknowledged the importance of Kohli’s wicket and stressed on needing a needing a plan for it. “He (Kohli) is a world-class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him,” said Shadab. The last time these two teams met, Kohli scored a 53-ball 83-run knock in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne to guide India to a four-wicket win. “The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the (2022 T20) World Cup, I don’t think that if any other batsman in the world was in that situation, could have done that to our bowling line-up.” “And, the beauty of it is that he can do this at any stage and at any time.”