Naseem Shah opens up on facing Virat Kohli on T20I debut and ‘pressure’ of playing against India

Pakistan fast-bowler Naseem Shah has opened up on facing superstar batter Virat Kohli on his T20I debut against India, calling it a good experience.

Naseem made his T20I debut against India in the 2022 T20 Asia Cup in Dubai. Naseem, who is currently recovering from a shoulder injury that he picked up during the 2023 Asia Cup, which ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup as well. The 21-year-old is set to make his comeback in the 2024 season of the Pakistan Super League, where he’ll turn up for Islamabad United.

Speaking on the Islamabad United Podcast, Naseem said he has good memories of his T20I debut against India, insisting that his past experience in Tests and ODIs helped him deal with the pressure of the marquee fixture. Naseem picked the wickets of KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav on his T20I debut.

“I have good memories of my T20I debut against India. India versus Pakistan is the most important match when it comes to the crowds and intensity on the field and that was my debut match. I was naturally a bit nervous since it was my debut. But the good thing for me was that I had played a lot of cricket before, I had played Tests and ODIs, which helped me,” said Naseem.

He went on to reveal his game plan against Kohli on his T20I debut, calling the experience a good one as it prepared him to handle pressure early in his career. Kohli scored 35 runs off 34 balls as India beat Pakistan by 5 runs in Dubai on Naseem’s debut.

“When Virat Kohli came in to bat, I thought he would go hard. So I bowled an in-swinger hoping that it might catch his pad but he let it go. The next delivery I bowled an out-swinger, caught the edge but yeah, the catch got dropped. But it was a good experience because when you make your debut against a big team and under so much pressure then you get a margin in other matches,” Naseem added.

Speaking about the pressure of India versus Pakistan matches, Naseem revealed that he couldn’t hear the voice of then-captain Babar Azam despite him standing next to him during their clash against India in the 2022 T20 World Cup. India beat Pakistan by 4 wickets which saw Kohli play one of the finest knocks in T20I cricket.

“I remember the match against India in Melbourne, I couldn’t hear Babar’s voice despite him standing next to me. That is how loud it was. The crowds focus on each and every ball. So it’s obvious that pressure would be there if there is so much focus on this game,” said Naseem.

Naseem made a move to Islamabad United from Quetta Gladiators ahead of the 2024 season of the PSL. He’ll be in action when Islamabad United takes on Lahore Qalandars on Saturday, February 17.