Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan opened up about his batting strategy, drawing inspiration from India's batting superstar Virat Kohli.
Rizwan, Pakistan’s batting sensation, stressed the importance of prioritizing the national team's benefit over his personal milestones, echoing Kohli's approach to the game.
Speaking about his roles in ODIs and T20Is, the star batter shed light on his adaptability. While Rizwan bats in the middle order in ODIs, he opens for Pakistan in T20Is. Rizwan said that he plays at the position where his team needs, rather than his personal choice across the formats.
Mohammad Rizwan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “Firstly, the teams that you are representing… keep that [role] in front and if you think of yourself in that case... like players who think, ‘let me save myself’, he won't go far.”
Citing Kohli’s example, Rizwan said of the talks of averages: “Those players who look at averages are average players. If someone is performing, it will be there in the stats for people to see. Like, say India's Virat Kohli, he is getting his average higher but he is not focusing on that because average players look at average and big players will look at the team and the situation.”
He signed off by saying, “My focus remains on what is the requirement of the team. The team says, ‘Rizwan, look at the board and play accordingly’. I maintain the same thing in my own life, too, but it is not easy. In T20, playing the new ball and in ODI, go after 25 overs when the ball is a bit old…. that is not easy and it is a mind game.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
