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Bangladesh's wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim revealed that he refrains from sledging India's Virat Kohli during matches because it only motivates the Indian batting maestro. Ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh, scheduled to be held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 19, Rahim shared his insights.
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In an interview with Star Sports, Rahim stated that he never engages in sledging with Kohli as it tends to fire him up, and instead, he instructs his bowlers to dismiss him swiftly. Kohli has a remarkable record against Bangladesh, having scored 1437 runs in 26 matches at an average of 65.31.
"Some batters in the world love sledging and get pumped up by that. So I never sledge him because he gets pumped up by that. I always tell my bowlers to get rid of him as early as possible," said Rahim.
Rahim also revealed that Kohli engages in banter with him whenever they face off in matches against India. He further emphasized that Kohli is an extremely competitive player who detests losing. In the context of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, India has a favorable history against Bangladesh, winning four out of their five encounters in the ODI World Cups. Their only defeat came in the 2007 edition of the tournament.
"Whenever I play against him, he always tries to sledge me every time I go in to bat because he is a really competitive guy and he doesn't want to lose any cricket match. I really love that rivalry with him and the challenge that comes with facing him and India," Rahim added.
India currently occupies the second position on the World Cup 2023 points table, having accumulated six points from three matches with a net run-rate of +1.821. A victory against Bangladesh would bring them closer to securing a spot in the top four positions in the group stage.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is eager to bounce back after consecutive losses to defending champions England and 2019 finalists New Zealand. They currently sit in seventh place on the World Cup 2023 points table, with two points from three matches and a net run-rate of -0.699.
As both teams prepare to face each other in what promises to be a competitive encounter, the battle between Kohli and Rahim, on and off the field, will undoubtedly add to the intrigue of the match.
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