I never sledge Virat Kohli as he gets pumped up by that: Mushfiqur Rahim

Bangladesh have developed quite a rivalry with India in recent years. They won a thrilling contest by six runs in their most recent meeting in the Asia Cup 2023. When the two Asian teams lock horns in the ongoing ODI World Cup on Thursday, October 19 in Pune, fans would expect to see another keenly-contested encounter.

Ahead of the match, veteran Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim revealed a couple of things he keeps in mind while playing against Virat Kohli. Rahim said that he refrains from sledging Kohli as that gets the former India captain more pumped up. The 36-year-old also mentioned that he tells his bowler to get Kohli out as soon as possible before he settles down.

“Some batters in the world love sledging and get pumped up by that. So I never sledge him because he gets pumped up by that. I always tell my bowlers to get rid of him as early as possible,” said Rahim on Star Sports.

“Whenever I play against him, he always tries to sledge me every time I go in to bat because he is a really competitive guy and he doesn’t want to lose any cricket match. I really love that rivalry with him and the challenge that comes with facing him and India,” Rahim added.

Also Check: List of Virat Kohli international & IPL centuries

Virat Kohli's impeccable record against Bangladesh in ODI cricket

The legendary batter has some surreal records across the three formats of cricket. One of the many opponents he loves facing is Bangladesh. In 50-over cricket, Kohli has amassed 807 runs in 15 innings against the 'Bangla Tigers' at a staggering average of 67.25 and an impressive strike rate of 101.25. Kohli has registered four centuries and three half-centuries against Bangladesh.

So far, in the ODI World Cup 2023, Kohli has already registered a couple of half-centuries. In India's first game against Australia, the right-handed batter scored a vital 85 and followed it up with an unbeaten 55 against Afghanistan in the following game. In India's most recent encounter against Pakistan, Kohli missed out as he was dismissed for 16. He would be raring to go against Bangladesh on Thursday.