Pakistan seamer Naseem Shah has opened up on his first-ever battle with India great Virat Kohli during the 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE. Shah, who recovered from a shoulder injury suffered ahead of the 2023 World Cup, will feature for his new team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – Islamabad United. As PSL 2024 gets underway on Sunday (Feb 17), Islamabad will face defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the opener in Lahore.

Speaking on the Islamabad United podcast, Naseem recalled his T20I debut against India in Dubai, wherein he impressed with his new-ball exploits. Detailing about dealing with the pressure of a crowd favourite India-Pakistan game, Naseem said having played Tests and ODIs earlier helped calm his nerves.

“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,” Naseem said.&nbsp;

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In that game, Naseem picked two wickets, removing KL Rahul (in his first over) and getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav later. On taking on Virat Kohli in that contest, Naseem revealed he thought Kohli would go boom-boom from the ball one and, therefore, bowled two swinging cutters to the batting great.

“When Virat Kohli came into 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 that 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,” the 21-year-old seamer added.

<h2>Naseem back in action</h2>

After missing out on a major chunk of matches late last year, including the latter half of the 2023 Asia Cup and then the World Cup in India, Shah is raring to go for his new team in the PSL.

Shah was earlier part of the Quetta Gladiators setup and switched teams ahead of the upcoming season.&nbsp;

Pakistan seamer Naseem Shah has opened up on his first-ever battle with India great Virat Kohli during the 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE. Shah, who recovered from a shoulder injury suffered ahead of the 2023 World Cup, will feature for his new team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – Islamabad United.

Pakistan seamer Naseem Shah has opened up on his first-ever battle with India great Virat Kohli during the 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE. Shah, who recovered from a shoulder injury suffered ahead of the 2023 World Cup, will feature for his new team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – Islamabad United. As PSL 2024 gets underway on Sunday (Feb 17), Islamabad will face defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the opener in Lahore. Speaking on the Islamabad United podcast, Naseem recalled his T20I debut against India in Dubai, wherein he impressed with his new-ball exploits. Detailing about dealing with the pressure of a crowd favourite India-Pakistan game, Naseem said having played Tests and ODIs earlier helped calm his nerves. “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,” Naseem said. ALSO READ: Blow to New Zealand as Kyle Jamieson ruled for one year due to persisting stress fracture in back In that game, Naseem picked two wickets, removing KL Rahul (in his first over) and getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav later. On taking on Virat Kohli in that contest, Naseem revealed he thought Kohli would go boom-boom from the ball one and, therefore, bowled two swinging cutters to the batting great. “When Virat Kohli came into 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 that 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,” the 21-year-old seamer added. Naseem back in action After missing out on a major chunk of matches late last year, including the latter half of the 2023 Asia Cup and then the World Cup in India, Shah is raring to go for his new team in the PSL. Shah was earlier part of the Quetta Gladiators setup and switched teams ahead of the upcoming season.

Naseem Shah opens up on facing Virat Kohli for first time; gears up for PSL opener

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Naseem Shah opens up on facing Virat Kohli for first time; gears up for PSL opener