“You don’t have to talk to Kohli, just remove his focus”, says Shoaib Akhtar.

In anticipation of the highly-anticipated clash between perennial rivals in the Super Four stage of the 2023 Asia Cup, former pace ace Shoaib Akhtar has offered his valuable advice to the national team. He urged them not to engage in conversations with the charismatic batsman, Virat Kohli.

During a recent lighthearted interview, Shoaib playfully remarked that the key to success would be to keep Kohli under pressure, avoid engaging in verbal exchanges, and divert his focus. This strategy, he believes, will increase their chances of emerging victorious in the upcoming match.

Akhtar said “You shouldn’t talk to Virat Kohli. You just have to push him, and remove his focus. Get him busy. And if he is busy batting, then he will win them the match.” (Wake Up With Sorabh)

Assessing Kohli’s performance in the ongoing Asia Cup, the aggressive right-handed batsman faced difficulties in his first match against Pakistan, managing to score only four runs. However, he didn’t get an opportunity to bat against Nepal in the second group stage encounter.