• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Virat Kohli Came In I Thought He Pakistans Naseem Shah Recalls His T20i Debut Vs India

'Virat Kohli Came In & I Thought He...': Pakistan's Naseem Shah Recalls His T20I Debut vs India

image-lspqhrjqNaseem Shah and Virat Kohli (Twitter)

In a candid reflection on his T20I debut against India, Pakistani fast-bowler Naseem Shah described the experience of facing Virat Kohli as a learning curve. Making his T20I debut during the 2022 T20 Asia Cup in Dubai, Naseem reminisced about the intensity of the India-Pakistan clash, labeling it as a significant moment in his career.

Recalling the match, Naseem emphasized how his previous exposure in Test and ODI cricket aided him in handling the pressure of such a high-stakes encounter. Despite nerves accompanying his debut, he found solace in his prior cricketing experience.

"I have good memories of my T20I debut against India... I was naturally a bit nervous since it was my debut. But the good thing for me was that I had played a lot of cricket before, I had played Tests and ODIs, which helped me," Naseem shared on the Islamabad United Podcast.

Facing Kohli, one of cricket's modern greats, Naseem outlined his strategy, recounting the delivery that tested the Indian captain. While Kohli managed to weather the storm, Naseem considered the encounter valuable for his growth as a cricketer.

"When Virat Kohli came in to bat, I thought he would go hard... it was a good experience because when you make your debut against a big team and under so much pressure then you get a margin in other matches," Naseem reflected on his encounter with Kohli.

Naseem also shed light on the immense pressure surrounding India-Pakistan matches, recalling an instance where the crowd's roar drowned out even the voice of then-captain Babar Azam. 

Ahead of the 2024 PSL season, Naseem switched from Quetta Gladiators to Islamabad United. Catch him in action as Islamabad United faces Lahore Qalandars on Saturday, February 17.