Hardik Pandya motivating Virat Kohli helped him gain confidence to win match against Pakistan: Asghar Afghan

Virat Kohli’s innings against Pakistan in India’s campaign opener at the T20 World Cup 2022 will be remembered for ages. The way he carried the innings forward after India had lost their top batters Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and even the in-form Suryakumar Yadav was just brilliant. He was the top scorer for India in that game, which helped the team start their campaign on a high.

But Kohli is not the only one who deserves all the praise. All-rounder Hardik Pandya also played a very crucial role in the game, not just with the ball but also with the bat. The duo shared a brilliant partnership, which helped India get close to chasing the target under the pressure situation. After the win, Kohli even lauded Pandya for motivating him on the field and being a big support, which helped the former India skipper gain confidence.

Talking about the game, and the camaraderie shown by Pandya and Kohli, former Afghanistan player Asghar Afghan heaped praises on the duo, thereby calling Kohli a world-class player. While speaking on 'BatBricks7 presents Run Ki Runneeti' show on CricTracker, Afghan said:

“Hardik Pandya is a very confident player. He has a big heart, we can see that in the way he is playing. He knows Kohli has completed successful chases in many matches. He has a belief on Kohli, and his words came directly from the heart. That’s why India won the match. When you motivate someone and your words come directly from the heart, then it is difficult for any team to beat you with that level of confidence.”

The way Virat Kohli played that innings was fabulous: Afghan

Kohli, who had been under the scanner for quite sometime due to his poor form, gained his mojo back during the Asia Cup 2022, where he bagged multiple half-centuries and his maiden T20I ton. Since then, Kohli has been in great touch, and he continued the momentum against Pakistan and Netherlands at the T20 World Cup 2022 as well. Speaking further about his innings against Pakistan, Afghan said:

“The way Virat Kohli played that innings was fabulous. Hardik Pandya motivating Virat Kohli helped him gain confidence to win match against Pakistan, and that is why he was able to hit those crucial sixes. No doubt Kohli is the best player and the best batter for team India. His current form is just terrific. He knew he can do it because he gained confidence after Pandya joined him.”

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