Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli spoke candidly about his matchup against Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and the risks posed by the other bowlers in their side ahead of the clash between the two sides on Thursday. The Men in Blue were clinical so far registering hat-trick victories in the marquee event.

Over the years, the two players have squared off against one another in all three formats of the game, particularly in one-day international cricket, Shakib has been successful in dismissing Virat Kohli a remarkable five times, while the Indian batting maestro has also done well against him in the middle overs scoring pivotal runs for India.

Speaking on Star Sports, Virat Kohli discussed facing Shakib Al Hasan in India’s upcoming match in Pune, saying that the Bangladesh captain has excellent control with both the new and old balls and can trick the batters in addition to bowling efficient periods for his team.

“Over the years, I’ve played a lot against him. He’s got amazing control. He’s a very experienced bowler. He bowls very well with the new ball, knows how to deceive the batsman, and is also very economical,” Virat Kohli said.

Because of Virat Kohli’s recent struggles against left-arm spin, his matchup against Shakib is one to watch with interest and the former Indian skipper would be keen to overcome his poor performance against the Left-arm spinners in the middle over to come good against Bangladesh on Thursday.

There Are No Big Teams In The World Cup – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is well aware that the teams need to bat well against the other Bangladesh and feels that they try to create pressure at the one end which increases the chance of picking up wickets on the other names and believes that any team can beat other in the marquee event.

“You have to play your best against all these bowlers, and if you aren’t able to, these bowlers are able to create pressure and increase the chances of getting you out.”

“There are no big teams in the World Cup. Whenever you start focusing only on bigger teams, an upset happens,” Virat Kohli added.

Virat Kohli, who has already won the tournament in 2011 made his fourth consecutive appearance in the marquee event. The 34-year-old showed a lot of calm and composure so far in the tournament playing a match-winning knock for the team in the opening game against Australia and would be keen to put up a show in the remaining games of the ODI World Cup.