Pakistan's mental block against Virat Kohli

[Savak]

1) 2009 Champions Trophy 16 (24)
2) 2010 Asia Cup 18 (27)
3) 2011 ODI WC Semi Final 9 (21)
4) 2012 Asia Cup 183 (148)
5) 2012 T20 WC Warm up 75 (47) not out
6) 2012 T20 WC 78 (61) not out
7) 2013 India Series at home - failure
8) 2013 Champion Trophy - 22 (27) not out
9) 2014 Asia Cup 5 (11)
10) 2014 T20 WC 36 (32) not out
11) 2015 ODI WC 107 (126)
12) 2016 T20 Asia Cup 49 (51)
13) 2016 T2 WC 55 (37) not out
14) 2017 Champions Trophy 81 (68) not out
15) 2017 Champions Trophy Final 5 (9)
16) 2019 ODI WC 77 (65)
17) 2021 T-20 World Cup 57 (49)
18) 2022 Asia Cup T-20 Match 1 35 (34)
19) 2022 Asia Cup T-20 Match 2 60 (44)
20) 2022 T-20 WC 82 (53) not out

Out of the 20 times this guy has batted against Pakistan, he has played well around 15 times and has contributed to a victory against Pakistan like half the time.

He has faced multiple generation of bowlers i.e. Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Riaz, Pre Ban Amir, Post Ban Amir, Pre-15 degree Ajmal, Hafeez, Prime/Post Prime Junaid Khan, Prime Mohd Irfan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohd Hasnain, Haris Rauf and he has bossed all of these bowlers.

As great as he is, i suspect our team has a serious mental block against this guy where they just let him boss us. You can see this attitude in all of ex and current Pakistani players where they just go gaga over his performances and behave like fans as opposed to adopting a more competitive attitude i.e. this guy has been owning and bossing us for the last 10 years, we need to stop with this fan boy, fan girl attitude and seriously need to come up with a serious plan on how to get him out or how to contain him.

The reason why our bowlers feel more relaxed and have a slightly better record against the rest of India's batting line up is because they treat them like normal players and don't go starry eyed, fanboyish against them.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He is at the end of his career lol No use in planning now. Besides in ODIs he dominated every kind of bowling. He made mince meat out of Malinga. Then entire Australian pace unit. Only person he did have real battle was Anderson in Tests and Zampa in LOIs. Cummins is also very competitive against him.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Moeen Ali is another guy who has somewhat wood over him. He used to get out to even very simple deliveries from him. Adil rashid has his share of success as well

 

[rhony]

He is at the end of his career lol No use in planning now. Besides in ODIs he dominated every kind of bowling. He made mince meat out of Malinga. Then entire Australian pace unit. Only person he did have real battle was Anderson in Tests and Zampa in LOIs. Cummins is also very competitive against him.

Add Adil Rasheed to that list.

 

[Justcrazy]

Kohli is arguable the best of this generation , he has score heavily against most opposition

 

[Caved12]

Nothing to do with mental block against Kohli yesterday. He played an unbelievable innings and it seems as he circled this date on his calendar months ago to get back at everyone who disrespected him (Fans, Ganguly, Rohit, Babar and Rizwan 152* etc etc)

Wow what a player

 

[topspin]

What we say today is an ATG playing an ATG knock. He was just too good and we have to give credit where it’s due.

That six he hit off Rauf was simply out of this world. No one else could’ve hit that ball over Rauf’s head for six. It was so graceful. I felt like I was watching Federer play with all the fluidity he had on display. At no point did he ever look flustered.

Kohli is for me the greatest ever limited overs batsman.

Babar isn’t anywhere near as good as him and his lovers need to accept that.

 

[Savak]

What we say today is an ATG playing an ATG knock. He was just too good and we have to give credit where it’s due.

That six he hit off Rauf was simply out of this world. No one else could’ve hit that ball over Rauf’s head for six. It was so graceful. I felt like I was watching Federer play with all the fluidity he had on display. At no point did he ever look flustered.

Kohli is for me the greatest ever limited overs batsman.

Babar isn’t anywhere near as good as him and his lovers need to accept that.

I have seen Kohli play that shot to slower ball bouncers before in the past as well in 2016-2017. He has definitely practiced and worked hard at that shot in the nets. That is how you execute it in a real life match situation when it matters.

 

[Suleiman]

We give him too much respect.

Case in point, Nawaz losing his marbles and bowling random full pies in the final over.

Also we love to drop catches against him because again, we are too scared of him and put too much value on his wicket = more pressure when it’s to catch.

Every other of our bowlers gives some statement in media “I would love to take him on” “I’m going to bring the aag to india” etc whereas Indian players see it as just another game.

This all started when Kohli chased down 329 Vs us in the 2012 Asia Cup where he scored career best 183.

Since then we always feel we’re never safe when he chases.

However he’s not at his best anymore and even yesterday looked labored for 90% of the innings. Only let loose Vs Nawaz and the two sixes Vs Haris.

He didn’t intend to win the game that late, we really constricted him, but he just hoped to get a few easy chances- which we willingly gave out of nervousness of his past form which didn’t exist till the end- a self fulfilling prophecy because of how scared Nawaz and Haris were of him.

 

[jnaveen1980]

^ Great mind reading lol

 

[dildilpak]

We give him too much respect.

Case in point, Nawaz losing his marbles and bowling random full pies in the final over.

Also we love to drop catches against him because again, we are too scared of him and put too much value on his wicket = more pressure when it’s to catch.

Every other of our bowlers gives some statement in media “I would love to take him on” “I’m going to bring the aag to india” etc whereas Indian players see it as just another game.

This all started when Kohli chased down 329 Vs us in the 2012 Asia Cup where he scored career best 183.

Since then we always feel we’re never safe when he chases.

However he’s not at his best anymore and even yesterday looked labored for 90% of the innings. Only let loose Vs Nawaz and the two sixes Vs Haris.

He didn’t intend to win the game that late, we really constricted him, but he just hoped to get a few easy chances- which we willingly gave out of nervousness of his past form which didn’t exist till the end- a self fulfilling prophecy because of how scared Nawaz and Haris were of him.

Dont think he really struggled yesterday - there were hardly any chances given unlike say Shaan Masood, who probably had the rub of the green yesterday. Yes, Kohli was understandably a bit circumspect till the 10th over, but between overs 10 & 20, 115 were scored in which he made 70 odd runs. He calculatively started the assault relatively late (maybe bcause he expected Pandya to get going but when he never did- decided to take it on himself), hitting 17 runs off Shaheen in the 18th over, knowing fully well that Babar will be then forced to bring Rauf in the 19th & reserve Nawaz for the last over. It was a masterclass in chasing which only Kohli can produce.

 

[Mamoon]

It is not a mental block. He is the GOAT white ball batsman and his skill level is too high for our bowlers.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Not a mental block. You need to get him early or he will finish you off. 2017 CT is a prime example.

 

[pillionrider]

As great as he is, i suspect our team has a serious mental block against this guy where they just let him boss us. You can see this attitude in all of ex and current Pakistani players where they just go gaga over his performances and behave like fans

Not Rashid Latif who is usually good with his analyses. There's a video of him saying he doesn't consider Kohli a good T20 batsman. This about a guy who has bossed multiple T20 World Cups

 

[pillionrider]

Sometimes players are just too good for their era. Did Pakistan have a mental block vs Sachin?

Have said this before, the oft-forgotten reason why India had such a ridiculous WC record vs Pakistan was mostly down to Sachin who single-handedly mitigated the spell Wasim Akram had on the collective Indian consciousness. It began in 1992 as a teenager and continued right up until Mohali.

 

[Varun]

Sometimes players are just too good for their era. Did Pakistan have a mental block vs Sachin?

Have said this before, the oft-forgotten reason why India had such a ridiculous WC record vs Pakistan was mostly down to Sachin who single-handedly mitigated the spell Wasim Akram had on the collective Indian consciousness. It began in 1992 as a teenager and continued right up until Mohali.

True this. Sachin was MoM in 1992, 2003 and 2011. He made a contribution in 1996 and 1999 as well.

 

[saeedhk]

Pakistan has had a mental block against Indian team for the last 15 years. Whenever Pakistan plays against India, all of our players look scared, meek and confused. The Indian team is too good a team for Pakistan. We always bottle it against India. That being said, Kohli is from a different planet, he is an absolute freak and an ATG.

 

[Kianig89]

Kohli is a great batsman infact great in generations there is nothing like mental block dont forget we also had his number on several occasions lack of planning is why we lost

 

[proud_pakistani]

Kohli is the GOAT. Even though Indians dont like me saying it but he is way better than Tendulkar, that says a lot. Its not a mental block but his skills are exceptional. That straight 6 over Haris Rauf on the back foot. Most players in the world wouldnt even clear the infield playing such a shot. I was in disbelief how that carried over the fence. It wasnt a bad ball, just pure genius.

 

[Saj]

Over number 12 was where Pakistan were gone.

Yes India scored heavily in the last 3 overs but that 12th over where Nawaz went for 20 runs, you could see the Pakistani players looking at each other with concerns on their faces.

 

[hitthestump]

Why is this surprising? Everybody knows Kohli is a big game player.

Are you trying to say that every single member of every Pakistan XI he's played against have some kind of 'mental block' against him?

Kohli loves pressure and challenge and he raises his game for it. There's nothing else to it.

 

[mesmerizer85]

Kohli exudes aggression and aura with his presence.. More like "fearlessness" if I may use the right word.. that itself causes his opposition to be defensive when hes batting..

 

[shamaan]

Thiers no mental block Kohli is just beast and one of the best.

 

[Concerned]

He’s King Kholi for a reason

 

[Savak]

Over number 12 was where Pakistan were gone.

Yes India scored heavily in the last 3 overs but that 12th over where Nawaz went for 20 runs, you could see the Pakistani players looking at each other with concerns on their faces.

It was the responsibility of the captain and the senior players to calm everyone down especially the junior players in these situations.

 

[bala977]

Kohli is the GOAT. Even though Indians dont like me saying it but he is way better than Tendulkar, that says a lot. It’s not a mental block but his skills are exceptional. That straight 6 over Haris Rauf on the back foot. Most players in the world wouldnt even clear the infield playing such a shot. I was in disbelief how that carried over the fence. It wasnt a bad ball, just pure genius.

Bhai - you may be surprised to find that half, if not the majority, of the Indians agree that Kohli is head and Sholders above Tendulkar (i am one of them
obviously)

All this “hamari zamane me” (caution: weak Hindi) players are good for talking and sound bites only. They were almost always useless when playing against india

 

[chinaman00]

Bhai - you may be surprised to find that half, if not the majority, of the Indians agree that Kohli is head and Sholders above Tendulkar (i am one of them
obviously)

All this “hamari zamane me” (caution: weak Hindi) players are good for talking and sound bites only. They were almost always useless when playing against india

There is no question Kohli is the best batsman India has ever produced and easily the best LOI ever. If Kohli or Sangakkara would have played as much matches as Tendulkar, they would have easily broken his records. Tendulkar’s only advantage is his longevity. He’s a great player but not as bigger than Kohli or Sangakkara.

 

[jnaveen1980]

There is no question Kohli is the best batsman India has ever produced and easily the best LOI ever. If Kohli or Sangakkara would have played as much matches as Tendulkar, they would have easily broken his records. Tendulkar’s only advantage is his longevity. He’s a great player but not as bigger than Kohli or Sangakkara.

Why do you think it is easy to play long? You do realize had played in multiple eras against multiple type of bowlers. Made his debut in 1999. In 2010 he became the first person to score a 200 in ODI. Can you tell me which batsman can do that 21 years after his debut. He played through era with no neutral umpires, single ball where reversing was prominent, top spinners like Warne/Murali. So many rules changed over a period. Nowadays with 2 new balls you don't see reverse at all. It is much harder to sustain your form over 2 decades.

 

[giri26]

There is no question Kohli is the best batsman India has ever produced and easily the best LOI ever. If Kohli or Sangakkara would have played as much matches as Tendulkar, they would have easily broken his records. Tendulkar’s only advantage is his longevity. He’s a great player but not as bigger than Kohli or Sangakkara.

It is easy to bash Sachin but again while Virat is a ATG white ball cricketer, he hasn't attained ATG status in Tests. I agree for all the talent Sachin had he kind of underachieved in ODIs. It is hard to call someone a underachiever with 18K runs at an average of 45. In Tests though Virat has a long way to go before he can upstage Sachin. Playing more games does not mean you have better stats. You need to be really good to be playing at that level and still keep scoring consistently which Sachin did except for his last 2 years. That's the only criticism I have about Sachin's Test career. If he had retired in 2011, he would have ended up with great stats with an average of 56+, he still ended up close to 54 which is amazing. Sachin also is one of the rare Subcontinent players to have good to great records in all countries/teams he played against. Every player had one bogey team or country but Sachin did not.

Virat is a fantastic LOI player and probably ahead of Sachin in that format but his average in Test has dropped under 50. If he does not correct that by the time he retires, he would not be the best from India across formats.

 

[Swashbuckler]

There is no question Kohli is the best batsman India has ever produced and easily the best LOI ever. If Kohli or Sangakkara would have played as much matches as Tendulkar, they would have easily broken his records. Tendulkar’s only advantage is his longevity. He’s a great player but not as bigger than Kohli or Sangakkara.

Kohli is the T20 GOAT. But has struggled in ODI WCs, Sachin dominated 3 WCs in 3 different decades, 1996, 2003 and 2011.

In tests no comparison, Kohli hasn't proved he is greater than Laxman. One league above that is where Dravid sits. Another league and you'll find Tendulkar, Gavaskar. You can still make some case for him in LOIs but not tests where he is an Amla level batsman, short of ATG.

Sangakkara had to do more in SENA to be an undisputed ATG. Also benefitted from placid pitches in his era, 20+ batsmen had 50+ average in the 2000s but in 90s only 3. Even 90s flops like Dravid, Kallis and Ponting plundered easy runs in the 2000s. Lara and Sachin achieved greatness in the much tougher 90s decade.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

In tests no comparison, Kohli hasn't proved he is greater than Laxman. One league above that is where Dravid sits. Another league and you'll find Tendulkar, Gavaskar. You can still make some case for him in LOIs but not tests where he is an Amla level batsman, short of ATG.

Sachin is definitely a way better test batsman but comparing Laxman to Kohli is ridiculous .
One bats at 4 and has scored 12 centuries in SENA while singlehandedly carrying us in SA and Eng while the other is a resque act.
There's no comparison between them, Kohli needs to have one more good run and he will end up in the same tier as Dravid, which would be enough considering that he is an ATG in the other two formats as well

 

[WengerOut]

Kohli is the T20 GOAT. But has struggled in ODI WCs, Sachin dominated 3 WCs in 3 different decades, 1996, 2003 and 2011.

In tests no comparison, Kohli hasn't proved he is greater than Laxman. One league above that is where Dravid sits. Another league and you'll find Tendulkar, Gavaskar. You can still make some case for him in LOIs but not tests where he is an Amla level batsman, short of ATG.

Sangakkara had to do more in SENA to be an undisputed ATG. Also benefitted from placid pitches in his era, 20+ batsmen had 50+ average in the 2000s but in 90s only 3. Even 90s flops like Dravid, Kallis and Ponting plundered easy runs in the 2000s. Lara and Sachin achieved greatness in the much tougher 90s decade.

Slight disagreement on Amla. He was a great test player and was world's best from late 2000s to mid 2010s. Scored impactful series winning runs in varying conditions like Eng, Aus, SC etc. He had a very lean end to his career which is reflected badly on his overall record.

 

[Farabi]

Sometimes players are just too good for their era. Did Pakistan have a mental block vs Sachin?

Have said this before, the oft-forgotten reason why India had such a ridiculous WC record vs Pakistan was mostly down to Sachin who single-handedly mitigated the spell Wasim Akram had on the collective Indian consciousness. It began in 1992 as a teenager and continued right up until Mohali.

Yup, completely aligned. Sachin was involved in all the Indian WC victories from 1992. Ide go so far as to say that Sachin and Kohli have a max WC record vs Pak, not India. Someone get data.