Tell Virat Kohli there’s a match against Pakistan and he wakes up from his slumber: Shoaib Akhtar
“Amrish Puri did not bother Shah Rukh Khan as much in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as Virat Kohli troubled Pakistan,” Suresh Raina said in a post-match show after India’s win last night.
Some may find the analogy funny, but it got his point across – no batsman, Indian or non-Indian, has dominated Pakistan like Kohli has in ICC events.
Following his match-winning hundred in Dubai on Sunday, Kohli now has five Player of the Match awards against Pakistan in ICC events, two more than the great Sachin Tendulkar, the second man on the list.
Kohli’s dominance of Pakistan started way back in the 2012 Asia Cup, when he blasted 183 to help India chase down a massive total of 329.
The next year, in the World T20, he hammered a match-winning 78 off just 61 balls. Ever since, Kohli has been a nightmare for Pakistan in ICC events. Such has been his dominance that it’s easier to point out his misses than hits against Pakistan.
The Champions Trophy final in 2017, which India lost, the 2023 World Cup match in Ahmedabad, and the World T20 in the Caribbean last year are a few occasions when he failed to fire against the archrivals. Such is his desire to perform against Pakistan that he doesn’t let even his poor form come in the way.
“You just have to tell Virat that there’s a match against Pakistan, and he will wake up from his slumber,” Shoaib Akhtar told a journalist ahead of the Dubai contest, who was hoping that Kohli’s poor form in the run-up to the big game would help Pakistan win.
And Akhtar’s words proved to be prophetic.
Having looked at sea against the spinners in five games ahead of the Pakistan match, there were some genuine doubts and questions over Kohli’s form and technique. But when it comes to Pakistan, Kohli showed yet again that his deep desire to perform and win supersedes everything.
Pakistan, of course, isn’t the team it used to be in the past, but the pressure to perform against them hasn’t reduced. One single performance or non-performance against Pakistan is enough to etch a player as a hero or a villain in the collective memory of a billion cricket fans. No one has forgotten that last-ball six conceded by Chetan Sharma decades back, or that 40-odd knock by Ajay Jadeja in the 1995 World Cup. So it’s mind-boggling to perform match after match in such high-pressure games.
“I take a lot of pride in performing for the country in big matches,” says Kohli, revealing his easier-said-than-done template behind his success. Despite leaving the Pakistan fans heartbroken every time he takes the field against the archrivals, Kohli enjoys a huge fan following in Pakistan. “He’s a gem of cricket, not just Indian cricket,” a dejected Pakistan fan said while leaving the stadium after watching Kohli decimating his team yet again.
Virat success story against Pak in ICC events
T20 World Cup, 2013
Runs: 78
Man of the Match
T20 World Cup, 2014
Runs: 32 not out
ICC World Cup, 2015
Runs: 107
Man of the Match
T20 World Cup, 2016
Runs: 55 not out
Man of the Match
2017 Champions Trophy
Runs: 81
2019 World Cup
Runs: 77 not out
T20 World Cup 2021
Runs: 57
T20 World Cup, 2022
Runs: 82
Man of the Match
Champions Trophy, 2025
Runs: 100 not out
Man of the Match
