Former Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Amir recalled the conversation he had with his fellow former pacer Wahab Riaz when star India batter Virat Kohli stood between Pakistan and victory during their match in the T20 World Cup 2022. However, Riaz was pretty confident that Pakistan would win the game, but Amir was not sure as the game was never over until Kohli was there in the middle.
Speaking to TOI, Mohammad Amir said: “I was watching that match on the television screen. Wahab Riaz was sitting beside me. When 48 runs were needed off 3 overs, I told Riaz ‘India match haara nahi hai’ (India haven’t lost the game yet). I told him ‘Till the time Virat is there, India haven’t lost the match’. I guaranteed him that. No batter in the world could play that miraculous knock, only Virat could.”
READ MORE: Virat Kohli shares the importance of maintaining diet
He further added: “The word pressure is not there in Virat’s cricketing dictionary. If you ask Virat, he will surely say that that knock vs Pakistan was the best innings of his life. Virat will be a dangerman for every team in the World Cup. He is in top and red-hot form. His confidence is at another level at the moment.”
However, Mohammad Amir also said that Virat Kohli had a massive impact on Mohammad Siraj’s transformation from being a normal bowler who leaked runs to becoming one of the most dependable pace bowlers for the team. Notably, Siraj is currently the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler as well.
READ MORE: “Can be the future captain of India” – Kiran More on Ruturaj Gaikwad
“I would give credit to RCB. They have played a big role in his development. Virat Kohli has played a big role in his career. In fact, Siraj has said this many times that Virat supports him a lot. The more you play, the better you become. Siraj didn’t take any rest and played a lot of games. That’s a good sign. India did a very good thing that they didn’t write off Siraj. India supported him in every situation. Siraj gained a lot of confidence from that support. India continued to play him in every format. In Tests, he is at par with Shami and taking India’s pace attack to another level. He is doing well for India in all formats,” Mohammad Amir concluded.
