Former Indian cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq said that the Indian batter Virat Kohli was under a lot of pressure during the match against Pakistan. He also lauded India’s middle order for playing well and sealing the match for their side.
India’s match against Pakistan on Sunday (28th August) marked Kohli’s return to cricket after a short break. The former Indian skipper, who has been going through a tough phase with the bat, was rested after the tour of England.
It was also his 100th T20I game as he became only the second player in the history of cricket to play 100 matches in all three formats of the game. In his comeback match too, Kohli looked sloppy initially with the bat as he struggled to get going and luck also favored him a couple of times.
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After he struggled initially to time the ball, he slowly found his mojo back and played a few staggering shots. But after that, he threw his wicket away for 35 runs as he chipped the ball straight to the fielder.
Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq said that Kohli was under a lot of pressure and didn’t look confident as he threw his wicket after scoring 35 runs, which he doesn’t do usually.
"There was a lot of pressure on Kohli and I noticed that. Usually, it is difficult to dismiss a set batter and especially when he has scored 30-35 runs, but I was surprised to see yesterday that Kohli was not looking as confident even after getting set. This is a thing to be looked at," Inzamam Ul Haq said.
Lauding India’s middle order, Inzamam said that strong batters down the order sets India apart from other teams. He also said that he was surprised to see Rishabh Pant being benched as the combination of him, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja could’ve been outstanding.
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"India's middle order and lower middle order are very strong. That is what sets them apart from the other teams in this Asia Cup. I was surprised that India chose to bench Rishabh Pant. The combination of Pant, Pandya, and Jadeja is outstanding.
Once upon a time, Pakistan also had a lower order comprising Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, and Shahid Afridi. It was difficult to chase down 11 runs an over on this pitch, but they played really well," he said.
Coming to the match, after India opted to bowl, they displayed a wonderful display of fast bowling as they on the account of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s four-wicket haul and Hardik Pandya’s three wickets, bundled out the opposition for 147 runs.
With the bat, India then struggled to get going as they lost wickets at regular intervals but Hardik yet again stood tall and played a knock of unbeaten 33 runs to take his side past the finishing line.
