Batting maestro Virat Kohli admitted that Pakistan have a quality bowling attack and India have to be at their absolute best in their upcoming high-octane clash in the 2023 Asia Cup on September 2 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Kohli played one of his best knocks in white-ball cricket when the two arch-rivals faced each other last time at the 2022 T20 World Cup. The format will be different in the Asia Cup but the onus will be once again on Kohli to tackle Pakistan’s fierce pace trio – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
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The 34-year-old talked about the Pakistan cricket team ahead of the mega clash and said they have impactful bowlers.
“I feel bowling is their strength. And they’ve got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So you have to be at your absolute best to face them,” Kohli told Starts Sports.
After a dull couple of years, Kohli has regained his form in recent times, scoring consistently across formats. He has scored 554 runs in 13 ODIs since last December at an excellent average of 50.36.
The batting maestro also shared his approach towards the game. “I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season. This is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team,” Kohli said.
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“I don’t think you can perform consistently without that mindset, because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied and stop working hard,” he added.
The former India captain shared his motto which has helped him become a better cricketer.
“My motto has always been to ‘Chase betterment’, not excellence I would say, because I don’t know what the definition of excellence is. There is no limit to it, there is no set achievement that if you reach a certain stage you’ve reached excellence,” he said.
Kohli made a point that performance is a byproduct of a player’s mindset.
“I think I strive for betterment every day, so that is a better word to use and yes, performance obviously becomes a byproduct because your mindset is ‘How do I make my team win from this position? This will make me a better player or this will get my team in a better position if I perform this way’. So this has always been my mindset,” he said.
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