‘You will not be spared today’: Junaid Khan recalls rivalry with Virat Kohli | Cricket News
Pakan pacer Junaid Khan reveals his rivalry with Virat Kohli and recalls how he warned him before getting him out in the match.
Junaid Khan has bowled 24 balls to Virat Kohli and had dismissed him three times, while conceding only three runs.
“Dande toh bahut saare ke udaye hai magar log jo yaad karte hai wo Virat Kohli ke hai (I have taken wickets of so many batsmen but people always remember Virat Kohli’s wicket,” Junaid said on Nadir Shah’s podcast.
During the 2012-13 series, when Pakan came to India, the left-arm pacer got Virat in all the three ODI matches. In the first ODI in Chennai, Junaid cleaned up Kohli for a duck. In the second ODI at Eden Gardens, Kohli nicked one behind the wicket off Junaid’s bowling.
Junaid recalls an incident ahead of the third match in Delhi, where he warned Kohli before taking his wicket.
“We have played in the U-19 World Cup, we knew each other. It was my comeback series and I was playing against India for the first time. I got Kohli in the first match and he told me it will not happen again. I got him again in the second and third match. Before the third ODI at the breakfast table, I told him ‘Viru aaj aapki khair nahi hai (Virat you will not be spared today).’ Younis Khan was also there. He said get him out again today. Younis bhai took Virat’s catch,” said Junaid.
However, Junaid has also praised Kohli for the batsmen, he has become over the years.
“Virat Kohli is still among the top five batsmen in the World. Especially in the white-ball they way he has made records and has recently broken Sachin Tendulkar’s century record. He is a world class batsmam,” said Junaid.
Junaid, who has played 22 Test, 76 ODIs and nine T20Is for Pakan.
The 33-year-old also picked Rohit Sharma over Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.
“Mere kahayal mei Rohit Sharma (In my opinion Rohit Sharma is a better batsman between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli). Har kism ki shot uske paas hai (He has all kinds of shots in his arsenal),” Junaid Khan said.
“Everybody calls Rohit ‘The Hitman.’ He has scored an incredible 264. He has also smashed a couple of double hundreds in the ODIs. This is rare, because he has done it more than once. He has also hit the most number of sixes. That’s why I would vote for Rohit.”
When asked to pick between Virat and Sachin, Junaid picked the latter saying the master blaster would have scored more centuries in the current generation.
“Sachin ke runs aap keh sakte hai ki jis time par usne runs banaye agar aajkal ke daur mei hota to uski jo centuries hai vo 100 se 150 tak hoti(Sachin batted in a different era. He would have scored more than 100 centuries in today’s time). He has played when ball used to reverse,” he added.
