Virat Kohli's childhood coach shares 'slight concern' for his pupil ahead of Pakistan clash in Asia Cup

All eyes of the cricketing fraternity isnow on the India-Pakistan 2022 Asia Cup clash, which will be held on August 28 in the UAE. Both sides will be meeting each other for the first time since last year's T20 World Cup face-off, where Babar Azam & Co. thrashed India by ten wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

For the unversed, the match will be held at the same venue. India will look to avenge their T20 WC loss versus the Men in Green and will also be bolstered by the return of former skipper Virat Kohli. Kohli wasn't part of India's white-ball tour of West Indies, due to rest, and had an ordinary IPL 2022 campaign followed by a below-par tour of England, where he ended without a single half-century across formats. Hence, Kohli will make heads turn once he walks out on the 22-yard cricket strip versus the Asian giants.

Ahead of the India-Pakistan face-off, Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma shared his 'slight concern' for his pupil. "There is a slight concern that he has not played too many T20 matches. But I am not at all worried because he is preparing very well. He is extremely positive and is coming back refreshed. So it is not a matter of too much concern," Sharma toldIndia News.

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Rajkumar also sounded optimistic of Kohli being able to play as per India's new and aggressivebatting approach. In this regard, he opined, "He is a big player, he knows how he has to score runs, and at which strike rate he has to bat. The Indian team's template has definitely changed, but everyone has seen Virat's adaptability, he adapts according to the team's requirements and will do so going forward as well."

India will enter the forthcoming Asian championship as the defending champions. They have won the last two editions, including the one held in the shortest format -- for the first time in the tournament history -- in 2016.