Asia Cup 2022: “Virat should not think about what lies ahead” - Former Pakistan captain’s advice for struggling Kohli

Former Pakistan captain Younus Khan has advised out-of-form Indian batter, Virat Kohli, to go back to basics and not think about what lies ahead. Speaking from his own experience, he stated that he too adopted this simple formula when things were not going his way.

Kohli’s form has been a matter of massive debate in world cricket over the last few months. The 33-year-old has not played any international cricket since the tour of England in July. He was rested for the white-ball tours of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The right-handed batter will resume India duties when the Men in Blue take on Pakistan in their first Asia Cup 2022 clash in Dubai on Sunday (August 28). Speaking ahead of the contest, Younus shared some words of advice for the Indian cricketer. He told The Telegraph:

“Several players have gone through extended phases of lean patches in their international careers. They have been short of runs and without enough good performances. You tend to feel as if maybe this could be your last game or last series.

“I too have gone through such phases. But I had adopted a simple formula. I went back to my basics. I feel Virat too should not think about what lies ahead. He should go back to his basics and play according to the situation, play for the team, and then, with the little bit of energy that is left, he can utilise it to play for himself.”

The man who led Pakistan to victory in the 2009 T20 World Cup stated that the former Indian captain must focus on the present. Younis said:

“He needs to develop this mindset of trying to focus on the present and not looking back at the past, and then look to fight for his team.”

During the tour of England, Kohli registered a highest score of 20 from six innings across formats.

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“The stage is set for him” - Younus Khan backs Virat Kohli to come good in Asia Cup 2022

Even as Kohli has struggled for runs, Pakistan captain Babar Azam, with whom he is often compared, has enjoyed a tremendous phase with the willow. Speaking about the two modern-day giants of world cricket, Younus commented:

“Babar’s performance is there for all to see. In all formats, he’s coming across as a standout performer. Not to say that Kohli hasn’t performed though. Parr jin performances ke liye woh mashhoor hain, woh unke taraf se nahi aa rahein hain recent past meh (But the performances that have made him a distinguished player haven’t been coming in the recent past).”

The former Pakistan skipper, however, backed Kohli to come good in the Asia Cup. Concluding his thoughts on the star India batter, he opined:

“Form is a matter of just one or two matches. I feel in this Asia Cup, Virat will be again coming across as a standout batsman. The stage is set for him. With the performances he has put up against Pakistan in the past, I feel he will be able to replicate that in this Asia Cup.”

The India-Pakistan clash on Sunday will be Kohli’s 100 T20I. In 99 matches, he has scored 3308 runs at an average of 50.12 and a strike rate of 137.66.