"His name is already written in the stadium, so he does not need motivation" - Mohammad Kaif expects Virat Kohli to fire in IND vs AFG World Cup clash

Mohammad Kaif expects Virat Kohli to fire in India's World Cup 2023 clash against Afghanistan in Delhi, highlighting that the Arun Jaitley Stadium already has a stand named after him.

The Men in Blue defeated Australia by six wickets in their tournament opener in Chennai on Sunday (October 8), with Kohli making a match-defining contribution with his 85-run knock. Rohit Sharma and Co. will hope to continue the winning momentum against Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 11.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif was asked about his expectations from Kohli, considering he will be playing at his home ground which has a batting-friendly surface, as seen by Sri Lanka and South Africa scoring in excess of 750 runs recently. To this, he responded:

"If a batter scores runs in the first match and he is a player who if he has a good first match, you can check the history, then he doesn't stop. He knows he has got form and will score consistently."

The former Indian batter added:

"It is a home game for him. Fans will come with banners and shout his name. His name is already written in the stadium, so he does not need motivation. The form he is in, I feel the bowlers will have great difficulties on this pitch."

The last game in Delhi saw a total of 754 runs being scored. While South Africa posted a mammoth 428/5, Sri Lanka responded with 326 runs on a placid surface with short boundaries.

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"The sort of expression he had after getting out, he knew he had done all the difficult work" - Sanjay Bangar on whether Virat Kohli will want to score a century in Delhi

Virat Kohli seemed headed for a century before he lost his wicket against Australia. [P/C: AP]

Sanjay Bangar was asked whether Virat Kohli will be looking to score a century in Delhi after falling short of the milestone in Chennai, to which he replied:

"The sort of expression he had after getting out, he knew he had done all the difficult work. Nearly 30 runs were required when he got out, and got out while playing the pull shot and he connected that shot well. It would have gone for a boundary had it gone slightly left or right."

The former Indian all-rounder added:

"These things happen in cricket but the special thing was that till the time he played, except for a false shot where he was dropped, he was in total control, whether it was against spin or fast bowling. So there is no area of concern."

Kohli has aggregated 222 runs, including a century against England, at an average of 44.40 in the seven ODIs he has played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. However, he hasn't played an ODI at the venue since a stand was named after him and he will want to make it a memorable homecoming by playing a substantial knock.