Published: Aug 23, 2018, 03:34 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 23, 2018, 03:34 PM (IST)
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman says that he is mighty impressed with the consistency of India captain Virat Kohli and that he has learned a lot by watching him bat.
Kohli has reclaimed the top-spot in ICC Rankings for Test batsmen after yet another superlative show with the bat to guide India to a 203-run win against England in the third Test at Trent Bridge. For the second time in the series, Kohli scored 200 runs across two innings to take his tally to 440 runs with two Tests still remaining.
“There is no doubt that Virat Kohli is a world-class player who sets a fine example for all to follow with his hard work and his batting,” Zaman qwas quoted as saying by the Sky Sports on Thursday. “I for one really enjoy watching Virat Kohli bat and I feel that I learn a lot by watching this master batsman at work.”
Zaman recently became the first ever Pakistani batsman to hit an ODI double-hundred last month when he scored 210 not out against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. He also overtook West Indian legend Viv Richards record for the fastest to 1000 runs in ODI cricket, taking just 18 innings to the figure.
For his stupendous performance in the past one year, he was given the PCB’s Outstanding Performance Award for 2018. “I am obviously happy about reaching such milestones but also feel honoured that I was able to break the quickest to 1000 runs in ODIs record, which was previously jointly held by batsmen such as the legendary Sir Vivian Richards,” he said.
Zaman didn’t think he will ever be able to breach the 200-run mark in an ODI innings but did think about of achieving that while playing domestic cricket. “To be honest, I never thought that I would achieve such a milestone in international cricket. Yes, while playing domestic cricket I did have the aim of making a double hundred in one-day games as I knew that not many local players had achieved this goal. I did come close to scoring 200 in domestic 50-over matches but the thought of doing the same in an international game simply did not cross my mind.
“My captain Sarfraz Ahmed and head coach Mickey Arthur would tell me that I had the ability to score a double hundred in ODIs, but I thought that they said it without much conviction and were just trying to build up my confidence,” he said.
