Former Pakistan Pacer On Why Babar Azam, Joe Root Won't Have Rough Patch As Long As Virat Kohli's
Former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed said that Virat Kohli has a "soft area" outside the off stump and that he gets stuck to deliveries there.
Virat Kohli's lean patch with the bat has become a hot topic of debate of late. The star India batter has not registered a century since November 2019 and in recent months, he has struggled to play impactful knocks. Now former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed has talked about what differentiates Kohli from the likes of Babar Azam, Joe Root and Kane Williamson. Javed said that there are two types of "great players" - one is technically sound and the other who gets stuck with a particular weakness.
"There are two types of great players. One is, if they have is a soft area and they get a little stuck there, their rough patch continues. The others are technically sound players, whose rough patch cannot go for that long, like Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Joe Root. It is difficult to find their weakness," Javed said on PakTV.tv.
"Kohli gets stuck at times with the deliveries outside off stump. James Anderson has dismissed him a lot," he went on to say about the former India captain.
"If he goes to change something, I was watching the match, he is consciously trying to not play away from his body. If you change your technique or flow, the problems will persist. If he plays long innings back-to-back, then he will make a comeback," he explained.
On a lighter note, the former pacer joked about one similarity between India and Pakistan.
"Let's take Kohli for an example, if he is not that confident, and India lose against Pakistan, they also face a similar situation like us. If he does not score runs, then questions will be asked on 'why did you play him?'"
"Then questions tend to arise that why didn't they play an in-form Deepak Hooda, suppose. But in UAE pitches, you are playing in the sub-continent so the chances are there that you might come back into form," he said.
India and Pakistan are set to face off on August 28 in the Asia cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan Cricket Team
India Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
Babar Azam
Joe Root
Kane Williamson