Pic: Twitter
Srinagar, May 17: Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad said that comparison with Virat Kohli added extra pressure on him.
Shehzad, in his earlier days, was compared to India’s starlet Virat Kohli as the right-handed batsman showed promise in his early days. However, he later failed to live up to the expectations, hence losing his place in the team.
Talking on the comparison with Virat Kohli, Shehzad told Cricingif, “Of course, there is pressure due to comparisons. We tend to compare two players without focussing on their respective backgrounds. For any player to succeed, it requires the backing of the coach, captain and cricket board. In short, he or she needs confidence in order to do well,”
Shehzad said if a player has to excel, he neess to be backed.
“Unless and until a player is given required support and a longer rope, his or her confidence won’t increase. Then, they tend to fight for survival,” he said.
“If you look at the backgrounds of Virat, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Babar Azam, they have been really lucky as well. Kohli had revealed that he was going to be dropped from plenty of series but MS Dhoni backed him. Same was the case with Rohit Sharma. Thus, faith was instilled upon them by Dhoni.”