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Cricket Players‘Players can’t even imagine… but Virat Kohli has…’: Kamran Akmal sums up batter’s importance to Team India
Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal had special praise for Virat Kohli and summed up his importance to Rohit Sharma's Team India.
Virat Kohli has been in resurgent form lately since last year's Asia Cup and was the top-scorer in the T20 World Cup, held in Australia. The stylish batter slammed a ton in the first ODI vs Sri Lanka, to make it back-to-back hundreds in the format. He had earlier grabbed a century against Bangladesh. In the first ODI, Kohli slammed 113 runs off 87 balls, packed with 12 fours and a six as India posted 373 for seven in 50 overs. A three-wicket haul by Umran Malik helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 306 for eight in 50 overs, in Guwahati.
However, the 34-year-old failed to build on his fine form and could only muster four runs in the second ODI vs Sri Lanka, which India won by four wickets. An unbeaten half-century by KL Rahul helped the hosts grab a series-clinching victory in Kolkata.
After the first ODI, former Pakistan player Kamran Akmal hailed Kohli for bagging 73 international centuries, backing it up by stating that modern-day cricketers can't even imagine of scoring 45 tons across formats. Speaking on YouTube, he said, "Nowadays, players can't even imagine scoring 45 centuries across formats, but Virat Kohli has scored as many in a single format. He has scored 73 international tons so far. He definitely got chances, but he made the most of those chances."
"He had scored a century on this venue two-three years back, and now he has rediscovered his form by scoring another hundred. He performed in the World Cup and the Asia Cup. The runs haven't dried up, which tells how important a player he is for India", he further added.
Kohli received the Player of the Match in the first ODI. After receiving the award, he spoke about his template coming in to bat. "My preparation and intent always remain the same. I thought I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with, I understood we needed an extra 25-30 runs. I tried to understand the conditions in the second half. Tried to get a comfortable total for us on the board. The one thing I learnt was desperation doesn't get you anywhere. You do not need to complicate things. You go out there and play without any fear, I can't hold on to things", he said.
"You have to play for the right reasons and almost play every game like it's your last and just be happy about it. The game is going to move on. I am not going to play forever, I am in a happy space and enjoying my time playing", he further added.
