Asia Cup 2022: “It’s in his own hands”- Shahid Afridi’s straightforward reply regarding Virat Kohli’s future ahead of Indo-Pak clash

Ahead of the much-awaited Asia Cup 2022, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has come up with a blunt reply regarding star India batter Virat Kohli. He feels that the batter’s future fully lies in his own hands and will depend upon his performances in the T20I tournament.

Afridi was part of a QnA session on Twitter when a fan asked him about Kohli's future. Responding to the question, Afridi wrote:

“It’s in his own hands.”

The former India captain will be the prime focus in the high-octane match between India and Pakistan on August 28 in Dubai.

The right-handed batter will return to the field after a five-week-long break. He put on a dismal show with the bat on the England tour, failing to cross the 20-run mark across six innings. He scored 1 and 11, respectively, in his last two T20Is followed by scores of 16 and 17, respectively, in the two ODIs he batted.

“Bare players ka mushkil waqt me hi pata chalta hai”- Shahid Afridi

During the same QnA session on Twitter, Afridi was asked to share his views on Kohli's failure to score a century in the last few years. The former Pakistani skipper responded by stating how big players are judged based on how they fare during testing times. He wrote:

“Bare players ka mushkil waqt me hi pata chalta hai” (You only know great players from how they perform during difficult times)

Considered a modern run machine, Virat Kohli has failed to score a century in the last 33 months. His last ton came in November 2019 against Bangladesh.

Fans are waiting with bated breath for him to score his 70th international hundred. The right-handed batter too will be looking to reply to his critics with the bat and put an end to all discussions surrounding his future.

With youngsters rising to the occasion over the last few months, Kohli will be under the pump to perform in a high-voltage match against Pakistan and the rest of the tournament as India prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup.

Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the multi-nation tournament, Virat Kohli said he wants to win the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup for India. He said:

"My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. I am ready to do anything for the team."

Luckily, Kohli enjoys batting against the Men in Green. He has scored 311 runs in seven matches at an average of 77.75. He slammed a half-century during his last meeting against Babar Azam and Co. in Dubai during the T20 World Cup last year.