Asia Cup 2022: Masked Virat Kohli goes through high intensity training ahead of Pakistan clash

Virat Kohli was spotted wearing a high-altitude training mask ahead of India's Super 4s clash vs Pakistan.

India captain Virat Kohli was spotted training with a high-altitude mask ahead of the India vs Pakistan clash, scheduled to be played on Sunday, 4 September. Kohli, who returned to form in the Asia Cup, became the first player to hit a half century in the ongoing edition of the tournament.

After his 35 off 34 balls against a spirited Pakistan bowling line-up, Kohli followed it up with an anchor's role in the second game, scoring his half century. He put together a 98* run partnership alongside Suryakumar Yadav which helped India register a total of 192 runs in the Asia Cup.

Kohli was seen wearing a high-altitude mask in training on Friday evening, 2 September. The mask is an accessory used by athletes to strengthen their breathing muscles and increase lung capacity. The Asia Cup has seen several players pulling up their muscles due to the hot and humid condition in the UAE at the moment. A prime example of the situation is of Naseem Shah, who kept cramping up against India in his final over of the game.

Kohli, despite his month and a half long break has come back fit as a fiddle into the Indian team and has shown no sign of dropping intensity between the wickets. Kohli will be crucial for India when the play their return game against Pakistan on Sunday, considering the recent tendency of top order debacles India have shown. Both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have not fired in the tournament yet. KL Rahul especially has copped a lot of criticism after getting out for a golden duck vs Pakistan and then showing no intent in the powerplay against Associate cricketing nation - Hong Kong.

India will be up against Pakistan in the Super fours of the Asia Cup on Sunday, 4 September.