Looking forward to the much-anticipated game between India and Pakistan on June 9 at the T20 World Cup, former Pakistani cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has stated that Virat Kohli dominates the Men-in-Green in white-ball cricket.
Misbah highlighted Kohli's excellent performances against Pakistan, especially in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, and further explained how top players like him actually performed better under pressure.
"Everyone feels the pressure of playing in the India-Pakistan match. Whenever I used to play against India, if the start was good, I was confident and comfortable that I would perform. It's in the player's muscle memory and mind that when you perform well, you really have a big impact on the match, and the position you are in during the match also has an influence," Misbah stated during an interview on Star Sports Press Room.
"Virat Kohli performed well in all the matches, against many teams, and especially against Pakistan. He played such an innings at a crucial stage that he caused a lot of damage to Pakistan. So even in Pakistan's mind, there is a mentality, there's a supremacy, and even in Kohli's mind, he knows that he can perform well against Pakistan,” the former Pakistan captain remarked.
Pakistan remains cautious of Kohli, especially after his memorable unbeaten 82 off 53 balls during their last T20 World Cup encounter, securing a historic win for India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a performance hailed as one of T20 cricket's finest innings.
“He's such a player that when the occasion is big, instead of taking pressure, he takes motivation from it. Whenever there was a pressure situation and the team was in a bad situation, I used to feel like I had to do something. And this is a factor in Virat as well, and he is a top-class cricketer. So to play against a team like India, like we did in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan or any team has to get him out early. You can talk about strike rates as much as you want, but he's a player who knows how to win a match and is used to it. If he is at the crease, then there is no situation or position where you are safe," Misbah added.
Both Kohli and Babar Azam have faced criticism for their perceived slow strike rates lately. Nonetheless, they responded emphatically, with Kohli leading the IPL's run-scoring charts and Babar's commanding 75 off 42 balls securing a T20I series victory against Ireland.
“Even if you talk about Babar, outside noise definitely affects you when you hear it. But there are good players, who are mentally strong and the best players in the world are the ones who take motivation from it and they show them how they can give an answer on the field..
"They take motivation from those voices and criticism and hopefully he can bat like that when the team requires him to do so. If they don't, and he needs to be an anchor, you have to keep telling yourself that if the situation comes I can play at a 160, 170 or a 200 strike rate as well when the team needs me. Only then am I world class. It's not that I'll play at a strike rate of 130 when the team needs to score 200. So this will be important for Babar in this world cup," Misbah concluded.
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