‘Aaj aapki khair nahi’ – Junaid Khan reveals he sledged Virat Kohli during 2012-13 IND – PAK series

Virat Kohli and Junaid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Star India batter Virat Kohli is touted as the greatest batter of the modern era having incredible numbers across all three formats of the game. Kohli recently broke several records in the ODI World Cup 2023 as he surpassed Tendulkar’s feat of most ODI hundreds by registering his 50th hundred in the 50-over format. He also scored 765 runs in the tournament from 11 innings, the most in a single edition.

There have only been a handful of bowlers in international cricket who’ve dominated Kohli. Former Pakistan seamer Junaid Khan is one such person who had the better of the Indian stalwart in his early days as he dismissed him thrice in the last bilateral ODI series played between India and Pakistan. Recently, Junaid recalled his early battles with Kohli in 2012-13 and revealed that the batting great told him that he would not get dismissed by him again after the first ODI.

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“We have played in the U-19 World Cup, we knew each other. It was my comeback series and I was playing against India for the first time. I got Kohli in the first match and he told me it will not happen again. I got him again in the second and third match. Before the third ODI at the breakfast table, I told him ‘Viru, aaj aapki khair nahi hai (Virat, you will not be spared today).’ Younis Khan was also there. He said get him out again today. Younis bhai took Virat’s catch,” said Junaid on the Nadir Ali Podcast.

Virat Kohli has scored just three runs in ODIs vs Junaid Khan

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Notably, the left-arm seamer picked Kohli’s wicket in all three matches of the ODI series which helped Pakistan win it by 2-1. The duo have faced each other five times in ODIs where Junaid has bowled 24 deliveries to Kohli, dismissing him thrice for just three runs. In T20Is cricket, Junaid has bowled just two balls to Kohli in 2014 where he scored a boundary against him.