Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has given a fitting reply to Team India men's team's chief selector Ajit Agarkar's remark of 'Virat Kohli handling Pakistan's pace-bowling unit'. The spin-bowling all-rounder underlined that such statements don't mean a lot as it's difficult to predict what will happen when India and Pakistan face in the 2023 Asia Cup match on September 2nd.
During the press conference for the announcement of the 2023 Asia Cup squad, Agarkar was asked about the esteemed pace attack of Pakistan. The former Indian fast bowler responded by stating that Kohli will deal with them. The right-handed batter indeed stood tall over Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 2022 T20 World Cup game, carrying India to victory single-handedly.
Hence, the star batter will once again be the key wicket for Pakistan.
Responding to a reporter's question after the 3-0 ODI series win over Afghanistan, Shadab stated:
"Dekhiye, ye depend karta hai on a day. Main ya koi aur, ya unki taraf se koi aisa bol de, to bolne se kuch nahi hota, kuch change nahi hota. Jab match hoga, match mein jo cheezein nazar ayengi, asal cheez wahi hoti hai."
(See, it all depends on what happens that day. Me or someone else, or someone from their side, can say whatever they want. It doesn't make any difference. When the match takes place, then only we'll get to know what is the reality).
Shadab Khan was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers in the 3rd ODI against Afghanistan:
Meanwhile, the youngster played an instrumental role in the 3-0 ODI series victory over Afghanistan, which also lifted them to the top of the ICC ODI rankings. The 24-year-old finished with figures of 10-1-42-3 in the 3rd ODI on Saturday to bowl the Afghans out for 209 in reply to Pakistan's 268.
Earlier, the Men in Green won the toss and chose to bat first. The 110-run stand between captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan was integral in catapulting them to a competitive total.
