Pakistan coach Saqlain Mushtaq opens up ahead of key clash against India
Former Pakistan spinner and the current Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq has issued a stern warning to the Pakistani squad not to take Virat Kohli lightly ahead of their 2022 Asia Cup clash. The Men in Green will face team India at the Dubai International Stadium on August 28 (Sunday) in their tournament opener.
Team India star batter, who played his last T20I encounter against England, has made a comeback to the team and is currently grinding hard in the nets ahead of their tournament opener. Meanwhile, Mushtaq emphasized the fact that even though Kohli has not been at his best recently, the right-handed batter has ruled the cricketing world for 12-15 years and cannot be taken lightly.
He is definitely not someone who can be underestimated: Mushtaq on Kohli
“You cannot take Virat Kohli lightly. Even if he isn’t in form, he has ruled the cricketing world for 12-15 years and is keen on a chance to score big. So he is definitely not someone who can be underestimated,” Mushtaq was quoted while speaking to Sportskeeda. The veteran spinner also talked about the Pakistan side and said that they will definitely rely on their skipper Babar Azam. He also named Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan as probable match-winners for the Men in Green.
“Pakistan will definitely rely on Babar Azam. The world has seen his consistency and hopefully, he will continue to do so. Rizwan has a special formula and mindset for T20 cricket that has helped him top the charts in 2021. Shadab Khan is also capable of single-handedly winning the game with both bat and ball,” he added.
Team Pakistan won their previous encounter against team India during the 2021 T20 World Cup by 10 wickets. Former team India skipper Virat Kohli scored an excellent half-century against the Men in Green but that was not enough. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, team India will be looking to settle the scores and move ahead in the competition. The Men in Green will have to be at their best to register two consecutive victories over team India.
