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Cricket Players'I feel in this Asia Cup, Virat Kohli will...': Younis Khan's huge prediction ahead of India vs Pakistan blockbuster
The Asia Cup 2022 match between India and Pakistan will mark the return of Virat Kohli. And ahead of the mother of all battles, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has made a huge prediction about the star India batter.
The Asia Cup 2022 match between India and Pakistan will mark the return of Virat Kohli. The former India captain, who skipped India's tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe will be back playing top-flight cricket after a three-week long break, and fans will be hoping that the time can help Kohli brush aside poor form and score runs at a staggering rate. Sunday's blockbuster clash will be Kohli's 100th T20I, which promises to set the stage well for Kohli to be back at his run-scoring best.
Ahead of the mother of all battles, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has made a huge prediction about Kohli, backing the star India batter to come back to his best. Kohli has a fine record against Pakistan – in fact, his career-best 183 was against the same opponent 10 years ago, also in the Asia Cup. The India-Pakistan clash will also pit two of the greatest modern-day batters in Kohli and Babar Azam, with Younis highlighting the polarising contrast in both of their current forms.
"Babar's performance is there for all to see. In all formats, he's coming across as a standout performer. Not to say that Kohli hasn't performed though. Parr jinn performances ke liye woh mashhoor hain, woh unke taraf se nahi aa rahe hain recent past meh (But the performances that have made him a distinguished player haven't been coming in the recent past)," Younis told The Telegraph.
"That said, form is a matter of just one or two matches. I feel in this Asia Cup, Virat will again be coming across as a standout batsman. The stage is set for him. With the performances he has put up against Pakistan in the past, I feel he will be able to replicate that in this Asia Cup."
The Asia Cup is almost a fresh start for Kohli, as India gear up for what promises to be a challenging few months ahead. After the tournament in the UAE, India host South Africa and Australia for 10 limited-overs matches at home, followed the all-important T20 World Cup in Australia starting October. With memories of last year's exit still fresh, India would be eager to banish their demons of the past and end their nine-year-long wait for an ICC trophy. And for that to happen, Kohli, who remains an indispensable part of Team India's set-up needs to fire. With that in mind, Younis has shared an advice for Kohli, which he feels can set the former India captain free in his mindset and approach.
"Several players have gone through extended phases of lean patches in their international careers. They have been short of runs and without enough good performances. You tend to feel as if maybe this could be your last game or last series. I too have gone through such phases. But I had adopted a simple formula — I went back to my basics. I feel Virat too should not think about what lies ahead," Younis added.
"He should go back to his basics and play according to the situation, play for the team, and then, with the little bit of energy that is left, he can utilise it to play for himself. He needs to develop this mindset of trying to focus on the present and not looking back at the past, and then look to fight for his team."
