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'Never said it was impossible': Asif reacts after being reminded of 'don't think Kohli can make comeback' remark
In 2021, Mohammad Asif had explained why it would be hard for Virat Kohli to make a comeback when the batter endures a rough patch. Earlier this week, he reacted to the remark after Kohli's brilliant return to form in limited-overs formats.
Team India star Virat Kohli endured a rough patch for a majority of 2022 after controversies surrounding his departure from captaincy role in the Indian team. Kohli hadn't scored an international century in over two years and endured a series of low scores early in the year, as well as in the Indian Premier League. During his time at Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, a remark from Pakistan's former fast bowler Mohammad Asif about Kohli's struggles went viral on social media.
Asif had predicted that once Kohli hits a downfall in terms of his batting, he won't be making a comeback; the former bowler also further explained the reasoning behind his claim. “Kohli is a bottom-hand player. He is doing well because of his fitness and it is supporting him. The moment he will face a decline, I don't think Kohli can make a comeback,” Asif had said on CoverDriveCricket's YouTube channel.
Later in the year, however, Kohli made a remarkable comeback to run-scoring as he ended a long wait for an international ton during the Asia Cup match against Afghanistan, and has since scored three more centuries – all coming in ODIs. On Wednesday, Asif was reminded of his remark on Kohli during his appearance on Salman Butt's official YouTube channel. The former Pakistan pacer, however, insisted that he felt it would be difficult for Kohli to return, but “not impossible.”
“I said that it would be difficult, but not impossible. For a bottom-hand player, at the age of 31 or 32, it is difficult to make a strong comeback. Upper-hand players are a little more fluent, even if they have a bad patch, they can recover. Players like Sachin (Tendulkar), Babar (Azam) find it more easy to make a comeback due to this reason. Kohli is my favourite player and I really enjoy his batting,” Asif said.
Kohli is currently part of the Indian XI that is taking on Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
