Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'Log kehte hain 'tum Virat ki bohot tareef karte ho'. I say...'': Akhtar namedrops Sachin in massive remark on Kohli
Shoaib Akhtar spoke in detail about Virat Kohli and explained what makes him special, namedropping Sachin Tendulkar in his argument as well.
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli had made a blistering return to form after an extended period of struggles in 2022. Ever since leaving the Indian captaincy in all three formats, Kohli had suffered from inconsistency with the bat and even decided to take a one-month break from cricket in August last year. However, when he made a return to the game, Kohli ruled the roost in major competitions such as the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup; he was the top run-scorer in the global event in 2022, even as India had bowed out in the semi-finals.
Kohli's innings against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup was widely regarded as one of the best T20I knocks in the tournament. His unbeaten 82 off 53 balls helped India chased down a 160-run target at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. While major former cricketers and fans cheered for Kohli on his comeback, one former Pakistan star who had remained a staunch supporter of the batter even during his rough patch is Shoaib Akhtar.
The former Pakistan speedster has now revealed why he always spoke highly of Kohli, and also namedropped Tendulkar as he drew a reference of India's batting legend.
“See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. But as a captain, he was lost. He left the captaincy himself. I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he ruled the T20 World Cup,” said Akhtar on Suno News.
“You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. Log kehte hain tum Virat ki bohot tareef karte ho, main kehta hu kaise naa karu? (People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, why shouldn't i do that?) During one stage, India used to win because of Virat's hundreds,” Akhtar further said.
Kohli is currently a part of the Indian team as it takes on Australia in a four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While the India star scored centuries in T20Is and ODIs since his return from the break in August, Kohli is yet to translate his form in the longest format of the game. In three matches against Australia so far, Kohli has scored 111 runs.
