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Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has explained why senior Indian batter Virat Kohli has been so successful in run chases after his exploits against Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday (October 23). He feels the Delhi batter waits for the opposition to break under pressure before executing his game.
Chasing 160, Kohli stepped up for the Men in Blue and smashed an unbeaten 82 runs off 53 deliveries as India won a last-ball thriller by four wickets.
His innings comprised four sixes and six boundaries. The right-handed batter also shared a 113-run stand with Hardik Pandya 40 (37) to recover India from 31/4.
Speaking to A Sports, Malik said:
“Achievement comes with experience and I guess you should have self-belief for it because you trust that if you are under pressure as a batsman while chasing, then at one time, the opposition will also be under pressure. Virat’s success [in run chase] takes him to a zone where you break [the opposition] and then he executes his game. That's his best thing.”
With 48 runs required off the last three overs, he hit three boundaries against Shaheen Afridi before taking on Haris Rauf for back-to-back sixes in the penultimate over.
He also smashed Mohammad Nawaz for six off a no-ball to ensure India ended up on the winning side.
“He does not panic” – Shoaib Malik hails Virat Kohli for sticking to his game under pressure
Malik said that Kohli does not crumble under pressure and sticks to his game. He feels that the former Indian captain’s ability to rotate strikes, play in gaps and hit boundaries when required gives him the upper hand while chasing.
“His ability to assess the situation is his success rate. Even if he bats first, his average will be similar, but when you are asking for strike rotation, he delivers. He hits the big shots and his best thing is that he plays in gaps and sticks to his shots. He does not panic, and he backs his shots.”
The former Pakistan cricketer also shared a special post for the star batter after he pulled off an epic run chase. He wrote on Twitter:
“What a Game of cricket we've just witnessed & this guy Virat Kohli is absolutely a Beast!! You can not compare his class to any other player in the world in white ball cricket. He can anchor, he rotates the strike, he can hit sixes and he knows how to finish the Game!”
India will next play the Netherlands in a group-stage match in Sydney on Thursday (October 27). Team management might consider resting Kohli ahead of the big game against South Africa in Perth on October 30.
