"You have to be at your absolute best to face them" - Virat Kohli wary of Pakistan's bowling ahead of Asia Cup 2023 clash

Indian batting star Virat Kohli opened up on facing Pakistan's bowling attack in their upcoming Asia Cup 2023 clash on Saturday (September 2).

The right-handed batter opined that bowling remains Pakistan's real strength, as they're capable of picking up wickets in clumps; so, batters must be at their best to face them.

Kohli, undoubtedly, remains the key wicket for Pakistan as they hope to gain the early upper hand over the Men in Blue in the competition. The 34-year-old has an impressive record in ODIs against them, averaging 48.73 in 13 games, scoring 536 runs.

Kohli's ODI best of 183 also came against the arch-rivals during the 2012 Asia Cup, helping India chase down a challenging target of 330.

Speaking to Star Sports' Follow the Blues LIVE, the star batter said:

"I feel bowling is their strength. And they’ve got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So you have to be at your absolute best to face them."

Meanwhile, Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan highlighted the need for a proper plan while bowling to Kohli.

He said that no other batter could have pulled off the improbable win against them in the 2022 T20 World Cup, with India needing 28 runs off the last eight deliveries. Khan said about facing Kohli on Saturday.

"He is a world-class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him. Anyway, in international cricket, there are a lot of mind games, because you definitely have the skill to reach that level. But how you read each other’s minds, the bowler and the batsman, how they read each other’s minds, and it also depends on what the situation is."

"The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the World Cup, I don’t think that if any other batsman in the world was in that situation, could have done that to our bowling line-up. And the beauty of it is that he can do this at any stage and at any time.”

The former Indian captain was at the forefront of the four-wicket win against Pakistan at the MCG. Chasing 160, the Men in Blue were teetering at 31-4 before Kohli's unbeaten 82 fashioned a dramatic win.

---

"My game plan is very simple" - Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates a wicket. (Credits: Twitter)

Meanwhile, Pakistan's new-ball bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi outlined his game plan, saying that he always aims to get the middle-order batters as quickly as possible.

"In my opinion, my game plan is simple, every opener knows my game plan. The goal is to, as always, get the openers out to put pressure on the batting team.

"The middle order, when they come in, are not used to playing against the new ball as much as an opener. So, there is a lot of pressure on the middle order to face the new ball."

Babar Azam and co. opened their Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a massive 238-run win over Nepal on Wednesday.