‘If this was Pakistan batting and not Virat Kohli, they would’ve lost by 30-40 runs': Kamran Akmal during T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli was at his brutal best when Rohit Sharma-led Team India kickstarted their T20 World Cup campaign against bitter-rivals Pakistan.

Run-machine Virat Kohli was at his brutal best when Rohit Sharma-led Team India kickstarted their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. Taking the world-class bowling attack of Pakistan to the cleaners in the high-voltage clash of the T20 World Cup 2022, Kohli smashed his record-extending 34th half-century to stage India's memorable fightback in the final-over thriller at Melbourne's MCG.

Kohli fashioned India's stunning four-wicket win over Pakistan to earn plaudits from the entire cricket fraternity. From legendary cricketer Wasim Akram to fast-bowling great Shoaib Akhtar, several household names in Pakistani cricket also saluted the batting brilliance of the former India captain. Raving about ‘King Kohli’ on his official YouTube channel, Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal ended up making a noteworthy statement about the crestfallen Pakistani side.

"If there was any other batter in his place, the match would not have come this far. Honestly, if this was our (Pakistan) batting we would have lost it by 30-40 runs. We can't handle such pressure. I think all our young boys (in Pakistan) who are playing in U15 and U19 camps should be shown the entire innings of Virat Kohli. They will get coaching from watching his innings and how he finished the match," Akmal said.

Asked to chase down a challenging total of 159 in their World Cup opener, Kohli-starrer Team India secured a famous win on the final ball of the enthralling encounter at the MCG. Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 82 off 53 balls to seal India's four-wicket win over Babar-led Pakistan. The talismanic batter of the Rohit-led side was also named the Player of the Match for his batting masterclass.

"The kind of shots he played against Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz in the last over. Only a batter of his stature can play something like this in modern-day cricket. The way Kohli smashed Rauf for a six straight down the ground, nobody can do that," the Pakistani cricketer added.