From a 'chubby little fellow', as Kevin Pietersen remembers, to emerging as a modern-era legend, having recently broken Sachin Tendulkar's mighty record of most ODI centuries scored, Virat Kohli has had an illustrious career. And with the greatness he has achieved, opponents who have faced him across his 15-year-long career do tend to recall the moment and remember it for the longest time if they had managed to get the better of it. Veteran Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan vividly remembers his share of the rivalry with the India great despite having last faced him in 2017.
Across five ODI matches, Junaid has bowled 24 times to Kohli, dismissing him thrice for just three runs. In T20I cricket, the two have faced each other only once, in 2014, with Kohli managing a solitary boundary in two balls.
“Dande toh bahut saare ke udaye hai magar log jo yaad karte hai wo Virat Kohli ke hai (I have taken wickets of so many batsmen but people always remember Virat Kohli’s wicket,” Junaid said on Nadir Shah’s podcast.
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The series that the left-arm fast bowler in the podcast was referring to Pakistan's last ever visit to India for a bilateral series, back in 2012/2013 for two T20Is and three ODIs. Junaid had dismissed Kohli for a duck in the opening ODI in Chennai before the batter nicked one behind in the second match off his bowling. However, ahead of the third match at Kohli's home ground, Delhi, Junaid reveals that he had warned the India No.3.
{{/usCountry}}The series that the left-arm fast bowler in the podcast was referring to Pakistan's last ever visit to India for a bilateral series, back in 2012/2013 for two T20Is and three ODIs. Junaid had dismissed Kohli for a duck in the opening ODI in Chennai before the batter nicked one behind in the second match off his bowling. However, ahead of the third match at Kohli's home ground, Delhi, Junaid reveals that he had warned the India No.3.
{{/usCountry}}"We have played in the U-19 World Cup, we knew each other. It was my comeback series and I was playing against India for the first time. I got Kohli in the first match and he told me it will not happen again. I got him again in the second and third match. Before the third ODI at the breakfast table, I told him 'Viru, aaj aapki khair nahi hai (Virat, you will not be spared today).' Younis Khan was also there. He said get him out again today. Younis bhai took Virat’s catch," said Junaid who never managed to dismiss Kohli again.
The Pakistan fast bowler however was full of praise for the batter Kohli evolved into and revealed that he rates him among the top-5 batters in the world.
“Virat Kohli is still among the top five batsmen in the World. Especially in the white-ball they way he has made records and has recently broken Sachin Tendulkar’s century record. He is a world class batsman,” said Junaid.