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Shadab Khan falls for social media gaffe, reacts strongly to fake 'Kohli will take care of Pakistan pacers' Agarkar jibe
Ajit Agarkar's savage claim on Kohli ahead of the Pakistan clash in Asia Cup did not go down well with Shadab Khan
If there is any bowling attack Virat Kohli would love to take on any day, it would undoubtedly be that of Pakistan. Well, his numbers speak for itself. Given that the stakes are always high with India facing Pakistan only in multi-nation events over the last 11 years, Kohli goes a notch higher against the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf as seen in that sensational show in Melbourne last year in the T20 World Cup. Hence, all eyes will be on Kohli when India take on Pakistan in the Asia Cup on September 2 at Kandy's Pallekele International Stadium.
Ahead of the match though, Shadab Khan fell victim to a fake news. The Pakistan all-rounder wasn't happy with a claim that was never made by the newly-appointed BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. Last Monday, after much deliberation, Agarkar, in the presence of India skipper Rohit Sharma, announced India's 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, along with a travelling reserve in Sanju Samson. Bits of the press conference were shared by users on social media, with several users highlighting a segment which never took place. As per the post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Agarkar, on being asked how India plan on tackling the likes of Shaheen Afridid, Haris Rauf and other Pakistan speedsters, said: "Kohli will take care of them". In reality, such a question wasn't even asked in the first place, let alone bringing a reply out of the former India quick.
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But peraps the reporter who asked Shabad the question wasn't aware of the gaffe. On Saturday, after Pakistan's 59-run win against Afghanistan in the third ODI in Colombo, when he was asked about his take on the claim, Shadab smirked, saying that mere words don't hold true and that the truth of it will only be seen on the matchday.
"It depends on a particular day, probably. Now, someone from India or me can make any claim, but those are just words. Anybody can say anything and that doesn't change or affect anything. When we will have the match, then we might see what goes on," he said.
Since 2019, Kohli has faced Pakistan only in T20I contests, where he has scored 158 runs in 110 balls against the pacers, comprising Naseem Shah, Shaheen, Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani. He has only been dismissed once, by Shaheen in the 2021 T20 World Cup, after scoring a fifty.
