DUBAI: Indian skipper Virat Kohli said on Saturday he will face a “very strong” team from Pakistan in the first match of the T20 World Cup and downplayed their unbeaten record against their opponents.
India beat Pakistan in all 12 T20 World Cup games and 50 overs.
“We have never discussed these things, our record and past performance,” Kohli told reporters on the eve of the long-awaited clash in Dubai on Sunday.
“These things create distractions. What matters is how we prepare and perform on that particular day, regardless of the opposition.”
Kohli said that regardless of their past dominance, Pakistan is and always has been full of talented players.
“Pakistan, in my opinion, is a very strong team and has always been a strong team,” he said.
“You have to play your best cricket against them, because they have a lot of talent and players who can change the game.”
Babar Azam’s Pakistan will look to break the World Cup misfortune against India, which won all five fights in the T20 highlight.
Babar, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman hold the team’s batting key as fast-paced Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali lead a powerful bowling attack.
Kohli supported his team’s match winners, including Hardik Pandya, to perform well in the tournament despite the handyman struggling with his bowling alley.
“He is improving in terms of preparation to pitch two overs for us,” said Kohli.
“What he brings into that number six is something you can’t create overnight and so I’ve always been in favor of supporting him in Australia as a purely hitter.
“He can take away the game from his opponents when he is at full capacity”.
Pandya emerged as India’s best all-round player following his 2016 white ball debut, but a spate of back injuries impacted his career and he underwent back surgery two years ago. .
The bowler did not launch the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the United Arab Emirates for his Mumbai Indians team.
But Kohli says the attacking hitter is an asset to the team in the shortest format.
“We understand the value he brings to the team as a number six hitter,” said Kohli.
“In world cricket if you look around there are specialists doing that job and it’s very important to have that guy especially in T20 cricket.
“He’s motivated and eager to start giving us a couple of overs and when that happens obviously the balance gets even better.
“But we are pretty confident about how we are heading towards the start of this tournament.”
The tournament is Kohli’s latest as captain of the T20 national team, but he has declined to speak more on the matter.
“Our goal is to play well in this World Cup and do what we have to do as a team,” he said.
“I’ve made myself very honest (on Twitter). If people feel there’s more, then I’m sorry for them.”
0 Yorumlar