“He Had Dhoni, My Scenario…”: Out-Of-Favour Pakistan Batter Opens Up On Comparisons With Virat Kohli

Out-of-favour Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has opened up on comparisons with India maestro Virat Kohli. Shehzad, who is currently not part of the national team setup, last represented Pakistan in 2019. The 30-year-old has played in 13 Tests, 81 ODIs and 59 ODIs for Pakistan so far. During a recent interaction, Shehzad explained how comparisons can go against a player, especially when a youngster is trying to make his name in the sport. He further explained why comparisons with Kohli was not right for him.

“The comparisons go against you. In the space of two matches, you start making exaggerated comparisons. It isn’t possible, because we are two different individuals, leading two different lives. His life is different. He had Dhoni, my life’s scenario was different,” Shehzad said in a video uploaded by Cricket Pakistan.

Shehzad also pointed out that when everyone wants a player out of the team, it is hard to focus and perform. “I’ve said this earlier, you can have two things – either you can have support from everyone, or when everyone is trying to keep you out,” he added.

Shehzad has been grinding it out in the domestic circuit. His performances, however, hasn’t been consistent enough to impress the management. While he last played for Pakistan in a T20I against Sri Lanka in Lahore, he hasn’t played a Test or an ODI since 2017.

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Kohli, on the other hand, has been the mainstay for the Indian team in the batting department for nearly a decade. Kohli, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Saturday, has been in top form in the ongoing T20 World Cup, having hit unbeaten half-centuries in three of India’s four games so far.

The former India captain scored match-winning 82 not out against arch-rivals Pakistan, and followed up with knocks of 62 not out and 64 not out against the Netherlands and Bangladesh, respectively. He is also the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 246 runs so far.