'I thought my career is over' - Virat Kohli recalls 2009 incident post Arshdeep Singh's catch drop during Pakistan clash

Virat Kohli, Arshdeep Singh (Image Source: Twitter)

A match between India and arch-rival Pakistan is a high voltage one be it any tournament. After defeating Pakistan in the first match in the group stage of the Asia Cup, the Men in Blue met the neighbours yet again in the Super 4 round. It was not India's day as they lost the match by five wickets on the back of splendid batting from Pakistani batters. Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz single-handedly helped the team sail through the target.

Pakistan chased down the target of 182 in the last over but in the 18th over, Ravi Bishnoi turned the match in favour of the former. Arshdeep Singh dropped a sitter and provided Asif Ali with one more chance at the crease. The batter made the best use of the second chance and almost took the team home with his 16 off 8 deliveries.

Post the conclusion of the match, Virat Kohli came in support of the youngster and recalled an incident from his life. The Indian veteran recalled an incident from the 2009 Champions Trophy against Pakistan and relived his wicket off Shahid Afridi's ball. The legend said that he had a nightmare post his dismissal and was staring at the ceiling till 5 am in the morning.

I played a really bad shot against Shahid Afridi: Virat Kohli

In the post-match press conference, Virat Kohli said that he had a nightmare in 2009. "Anyone can make mistakes. It was a big game and the situation was very tight. I remember when I first played in the Champions Trophy, we had our first game against Pakistan and I played a really bad shot against Shahid Afridi,” he said.

The 33-year-old further added that he kept staring at the ceiling and said that he thought that his career was over. It wasn't the case, however, as the batter ruled an entire decade until 2019.

"I kept staring at the ceiling till 5 in the morning. I couldn't sleep, I thought I won't ever get a chance now and my career is over. So, all these things are quite natural. But we will get back together tomorrow, and when the team environment is nice, you get to learn,” Kohli said.

"I'll give this credit to the management and the captain. They have created an atmosphere which makes everyone secure. You will make mistakes, you accept it, and then look forward to getting back into the same pressure situation again," he added further.