Virat Kohli: “In T20 cricket you need good execution to pick up wickets with the new ball, and certainly he did that, so credit to him”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
India captain Virat Kohli said Pakistan speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi executes very well with the new ball.
Kohli noted that it is important to pick up early wickets in T20 cricket, which is exactly what Afridi has been doing.
The 21-year-old has proved why he is one of the top bowlers in the world in the ongoing T20 World Cup as he kickstarted his campaign with a match-winning performance that earned him the Man of the Match award.
Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul and Kohli as he finished with figures of 3-31 off four overs in Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India.
The comprehensive win was Pakistan’s first against India in a World Cup match.
He followed up his impressive performance against India with figures of 1-21 in the five-wicket win over New Zealand.
After that, he took figures of 1-22 off four overs against Afghanistan, who Pakistan also beat by five wickets.
As for the game against Namibia, he finished with figures of 0-36 off his four overs.
“In T20 cricket you need good execution to pick up wickets with the new ball, and certainly he did that, so credit to him,” Kohli was quoted as saying by the ICC website.
Pakistan’s next game will be against Scotland on Sunday.
India, meanwhile, are on the brink of elimination from the T20 World Cup after their 10-wicket loss to Pakistan and eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand.
The men in blue turned things around against Afghanistan as they demolished them by 66 runs.
India’s next game will be against Scotland on Friday.
Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik
Pakistan T20 World Cup Reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir
Himself an extraordinary player of immense capabilities, who has demolished almost every bowler on every track, Virat Kohli holds a similar status in sportsmanship and big heart. His comletely unbiased appreciation of his opponents saves ones efforts to look for any evidence elsewhere..