Asia Cup is set to begin on August 30 and all eyes are on the much-touted clash between Indian and Pakistan which is set to happen on September 2. Even before the match, the war of words had already started between both teams.
Recently, Ajit Agarkar was asked at a press conference about how India would handle Pakistan’s deadly pace attack in the Asia Cup. He responded by saying that Virat Kohli would be able to handle them. Now Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan has firmly responded to former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar’s comments on Virat Kohli. In a jibe aimed at the remarks made, Shadab Khan enfolds an old Hindi adage, ‘bolne se kuch nahi hota’ which translates to ‘just talking achieves nothing.’
“Dekhiye, ye depend karta hai on a day. Main ya koi aur, ya unki taraf se koi aisa bol de, to bolne se kuch nahi hota, kuch change nahi hota. Jab match hoga, match mein jo cheezein nazar ayengi, asal cheez wahi hoti hai (See, it all depends on what happens that day. Me or someone else, or someone from their side, can say whatever they want. It doesn’t make any difference. When the match takes place, then only we’ll get to know what is the reality),” Shadab said, responding to a reporter’s question.
To give some context, Virat Kohli was instrumental in India’s victory over Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup league-stage match, almost single-handedly carrying the side to victory. While supporters anticipate the same from Kohli in the forthcoming Asia Cup, Shadab believes it will be shown only on that day.
In the group game against Pakistan, Kohli hit an unbeaten 82 off 53 deliveries. India was reeling at 31/4 in the 160-run chase when Kohli stood at one end and produced a 113-run stand with Hardik Pandya (40). When India needed 28 runs off 8 deliveries to win the match, Kohli smacked Haris Rauf for two amazing sixes off successive deliveries.
Shadab Khan was one of the most important players for the Pakistan team that secured a 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan. He was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the series, with 10 wickets at an average of 14.20. He also scored 64 runs in three innings, with a high score of 34.
Shadab’s performance in the series was a major factor in Pakistan’s victory.
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