JOIN US The return of tainted Mohammed Aamir to the international fold might have been contested by some of his teammates but India Test captain Virat Kohli, for one, expressed delight on the 23-year-old’s comeback from five-year suspension owing to spot-fixing.
The left-arm seamer, as an 18-year-old, had emerged as the most exciting prospect in international cricket before being caught in spot-fixing in a Test match against England at Lord’s in 2010 along with then Pakistan captain Salman Butt and another talented fast bowler Mohammad Asif. Aamir even spent three months in jail.
He made his comeback with the recent series against New Zealand, less than four months after completing his ban. However his inclusion in the national side met with severe opposition from opener Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali with the duo even boycotting a fitness training camp.
Kohli said he was glad to see Aamir rectifying his mistake and said it took lot of courage to make such a comeback.
“It is good to see Aamir realise his mistake and rectify it and play in New Zealand after that. He has been a world class bowler always. I feel if he had played those five years, he would have been in the world’s top two or three bowlers’ list,” Kohli said.
“He has talent, he has the pace and can swing the ball both ways. He has a good bouncer and bowls the yorkers really well. He is a very good bowler with a lot of skill and I wish him all the best. He has worked hard and come back to cricket which takes a lot of courage.”
India and Pakistan will be renewing their rivalry when they face off on January 27.
Kohli said he doesn’t view Pakistan as a special opposition regardless of the hype whipped before their encounter.
“We treat every team similarly. I don’t see any difference playing against Pakistan because when you go on the field, you just play the game with a bat and ball. There is no difference mentally. Pakistan is a strong side and we will want to do well against them and every other team. It is always competitive against Pakistan because the skill sets are good with both teams,” he said.