Asia Cup 2022, India vs Pakistan: For Virat Kohli fan Haris Rauf, dot balls are the key

Pakistan bowlers cool their heels on match eve but have plans in place for IndiaDUBAI: After Haris Rauf had stifled India's power-hitters in the T20 World Cup last year, one of his old tweets had gone viral. Back in 2019, he had tweeted a photo with Virat Kohli following a nets session in Australia.

Last Sunday, after India defeated Pakistan, Kohli gifted him his shirt. "I had requested him for his shirt long ago. It felt nice," the Pakistan pacer said in his baritone voice on Saturday.

The build-up has been all around the fellowship between these two teams. Rauf said: " Game ko game ki tarah lete hain (We treat a games like a game). The way Virat bhai has performed for his country, he is a legend. You get to learn a lot of things talking to him, as you would do from any senior. I thank him for giving me his shirt and talking to me." His rustic demeanour and bustling run-up are no indication of how precise he is with his plans when he runs in to bowl in T20s. Rauf is clear about his role: control India's powerful middle-order in the middle overs. "My mindset isn't to get wickets," he said. "My endeavour is to bowl as many dot balls as possible. In T20s, the more you defend with the ball, the higher the chances of getting wickets. You have certain plans for players from different teams. We do have something planned. When you are bowling at the death, you decide whether to bowl more slower balls or yorkers depending on the pitch," Rauf said.

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