Men’s ODI WC: ‘Never sledge Virat as he gets pumped’, says Mushfiqur Rahim ahead of India clash

New Delhi: Ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match against India, Bangladesh wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim revealed that he never sledged India batter Virat Kohli as it ‘pumps him up’.

Talking to Star Sports, Rahim revealed that he advised the bowlers to get rid of Kohli as early as possible and not to sledge him during a game on the field.

“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.

“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 has won four out of the five matches against Bangladesh in ODI World Cups, having lost in the 2007 edition.

So far, Kohli has scored 1097 runs in 19 ODI matches against Bangladesh, averaging 73.13

India with three wins in three matches are on the top of the points table and will eye to strengthen their position for qualifiers with a win against Bangla tigers.

India is set to take on Bangladesh in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday.

Whereas, Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back on the winning track after losing successive matches against defending champions England and 2019 finalists New Zealand.

–IANS