Srinagar: Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has said that he doesnt think any other player can hit those sixes Virat Kohli did during India vs Pakistan clash in T20 World Cup 2022 at Melbourne.
In the match, Virat Kohli single handedly lead India to a thrilling win over Pakistan. The highlight of Virat Kohli’s inning were two sixes , he hit in penultimate over of the bowling of Haris Rauf.
Rauf had bowled a slower ball on a back-of-a-length zone, tempting Kohli to play on the longer side of the ground because the square boundaries at the MCG are quite big.
Kohli, standing tall at the crease, shocked everyone, including bowler Rauf, by producing a shot down the ground for a six.
“The way he [Kohli] played in the World Cup, that is his class; we all know the types of shots he plays. And the way he hit those sixes, I don’t think any other player can hit a shot like that off my bowling,” said Rauf in an interview with Cricwick.
“If Dinesh Karthik aur Hardik Pandya would’ve hit those sixes, I would’ve been hurting, but those came off Kohli’s bat, and he is a different class altogether.”
Rauf explained how his strategy and execution in bowling those deliveries were flawless, but Kohli’s shot was a class act because he had no answer left.
“Look, India required 31 off the last 12 balls. I had given away only three runs off four deliveries. I knew Nawaz was bowling the last over, he is a spinner, and I had tried to leave at least four big boundaries for him and leave at least more than 20 runs.
“And since 28 were required off eight balls, I had bowled three slower balls, and he was deceived. I had only bowled one quick ball out of four. So the idea was to bowl a slower one on that back-of-a-length zone since the boundary was larger on the square side.
“I had no idea that he can hit me down the ground off that length. So when he hit that shot off me, that’s his class. My plan and execution was fine, but that shot was all class.”