'Don't take Virat Kohli easy' - Yasir Shah warns Pakistan ahead of Asia Cup 2022

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah has urged Pakistan to beware of Virat Kohli when they face India in their Asia Cup 2022 opener at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, August 28. Kohli has witnessed a slump in batting form since November 2019 and has so far showcased dismal performances on the 22 yards throughout this season.

Nonetheless, Shah has urged the Babar Azam-led side not to take Kohli lightly. He said that the batting megastar can roar back to form any time and reckons that the Asia Cup fixture could be a perfect opportunity for him to regain his lost mojo.

Virat Kohli is a world-class player: Yasir Shah

“Don’t take Virat Kohli easy. Yes, he is not in form because he is struggling to score runs, but he is a world-class player and he can come back to form at any time,” Yasir said to Pakistan channel pktv.tv.

Virat had a forgettable outing in the two T20Is that he played in England scoring 1 and 11 respectively. After the England ODIs, he was then given a break for the limited-overs series tour of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

However, Pakistan have a lot to worry about as Kohli has enjoyed batting against them in the continental tournament. In the 2012 edition, he had scored 183, which to date remains his highest score in One Day Internationals. He then scored a match-winning 49 four years later when the Men in Blue had lost key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply.

Kohli had scored half-centuries in the last two T20 World Cup fixtures against the Men in Green in 2016 and 2021 respectively and it is these consistent performances which make him a threatening force against Pakistan. On top of that, Babar & Co. will also be without the services of their pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi who has been ruled out due to a knee injury. Therefore, the onus will be on the likes of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah to trouble the Indian top-order especially Kohli.