Seeing Kohli at the other end pumps me up: Rubel

'I get a different feeling when I bowl against him. I will not allow him to hit me and want to take his wicket.'

Bangladesh pacer Rubel Hossain, who has a history of altercations with Virat Kohli, said seeing India’s batting mainstay at the other end "pumps him up" to bowl better.

India is slated to face hosts Bangladesh in the Asia Cup on February 24 in Mirpur.

The 23-year-old pacer said he enjoys his duel with Kohli since his under-19 days when both of them played for their respective countries in the 2008 junior World Cup.

"Both of us go back a long way. I like the challenge. He is actually very aggressive on the field, but outside off it he is a very nice guy. 

"I get a different feeling when I bowl against him. I will not allow him to hit me and want to take his wicket.

"Whenever I see him at the other end, it pumps me up since Under-19 days," he told journalists on the sidelines of the Under-19 World Cup which Bangladesh is hosting.

The last Asia Cup, hosted by Bangladesh in 2014, saw both Kohli (136 runs) and Rubel having a go at each other before the Indian was bowled by the Bangladeshi pacer.

Rubel, who burst into wild celebration after dismissing Kohli for only three runs in the quarter-final of 2015 World Cup, said, "We (Kohli and I) speak to each other quite a lot. Kohli, in fact, came to our dressing room after the 2015 World Cup quarter-final and we chatted for a long time."

Once known as the land of left-arm spinners, Bangladesh has lately seen a resurgence of fast-bowlers. Rubel, who is one of the leading pacers in the country along with young sensations Mustafizur Rahim and Taskin Ahmed, credits coach Heath Streak for his development.

“Heath Streak has triggered the emergence of fast bowlers and he follows a lot of new bowlers. With so much experience, he gets to know who has talent just by seeing them.

“With more fast bowlers the team’s balance is getting better, and the opposition are now strategizing against our pacers. We all have healthy competition between all of us, so it motivates to keep getting better.”