Haris Rauf: “The way he (Kohli) played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling”
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Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has admitted that only India batting superstar Virat Kohli could have hit him for sixes when the situation demanded it.
He was recalling Pakistan’s heartbreaking last-ball loss to India in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where Kohli led the charge and smashed an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls, which included six boundaries and four sixes.
Kohli hammered back-to-back sixes off Rauf’s bowling in the 19th over, which proved to be the turning point of the match.
While it would still be a painful memory for the 29-year-old, he applauded Kohli for his batting masterclass and acknowledged that the 34-year-old showed why he is in a class of his own.
“The way he (Kohli) played in the World Cup, that is his class, we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling,” Rauf told Cricwick.
“If Dinesh Karthik [or] Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurting but those came off Kohli’s bat and he is a different class altogether.”
The Pakistan speedster recently featured in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which the men in green lost 2-1, and took one wicket at an average of 142.
He will now represent the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is set to be played from February 13 to March 19.
All the matches in PSL 8 are scheduled to take place in five Pakistan cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Quetta.
Meanwhile, Kohli is currently playing for India in their ODI series against New Zealand and scored eight runs in the first match, which the men in blue won by 12 runs.