‘There’s a supremacy’: Misbah says Virat knows he can perform well against Pakistan

New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) Ahead of the much-awaited encounter between India and Pakistan on June 9 in the T2O World Cup, former Pakistan cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has claimed that Virat Kohli holds supremacy over the Men-in-Green in the white ball formats.

Misbah emphasized on Kohli’s performance against Pakistan during 2022 ICC T20 World Cup and discussed how world-class players like him cope with pressure.

“Everyone feels the pressure of playing in the India-Pakistan match. Whenever I used to play against India, if the start was good, I was confident and comfortable that I would perform. It’s in the player’s muscle memory and mind that when you perform well, you really have a big impact on the match, and the position you are in during the match also has an influence,” said Misbah-ul-Haq on Star Sports Press Room.

“Virat Kohli performed well in all the matches, against many teams, and especially against Pakistan. He played such an innings at a crucial stage that he caused a lot of damage to Pakistan. So even in Pakistan’s mind, there is a mentality, there’s a supremacy, and even in Kohli’s mind, he knows that he can perform well against Pakistan,” said the former Pakistan captain.

Pakistan will surely be wary of Kohli as the last time these sides faced each other in the T20 World Cup, Kohli played his brilliant innings of 82* off 53 balls to lead team India to a historic victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which is till date recalled as one of the greatest innings in T20 cricket.

“He’s such a player that when the occasion is big, instead of taking pressure, he takes motivation from it. Whenever there was a pressure situation and the team was in a bad situation, I used to feel like I had to do something. And this is a factor in Virat as well, and he is a top-class cricketer. So to play against a team like India, like we did in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan or any team has to get him out early. You can talk about strike rates as much as you want, but he’s a player who knows how to win a match and is used to it. If he is at the crease, then there is no situation or position where you are safe,” added Misbah.

In recent times, both Kohli and Babar Azam have been criticised for their slow strike-rate.

However, both players roared back in spectacular fashion as Virat is currently the leader in the race for the orange cap in the IPL, whereas Babar scored 75 runs off 42 deliveries to lead his side to the T20I series win over Ireland.

“Even if you talk about Babar, outside noise definitely affects you when you hear it. But there are good players, who are mentally strong and the best players in the world are the ones who take motivation from it and they show them how they can give an answer on the field..

“They take motivation from those voices and criticism and hopefully he can bat like that when the team requires him to do so. If they don’t, and he needs to be an anchor, you have to keep telling yourself that if the situation comes I can play at a 160, 170 or a 200 strike rate as well when the team needs me. Only then am I world class. It’s not that I’ll play at a strike rate of 130 when the team needs to score 200. So this will be important for Babar in this world cup,” concluded the former Pakistan middle order batter.

–IANS

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