'Virat ki life different hai, unke paas Dhoni tha. Meri zindagi me...': Pakistan star's huge remark on Kohli comparisons
The Pakistan star, who is currently out-of-favour with the national team, had a blunt response to comparisons with Virat Kohli, explaining why it was unfair.
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli is enjoying a brilliant run in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kohli is currently the highest scorer in the edition with 220 runs to his name in four matches, that include three unbeaten half-centuries. The batter's 82-run knock against Pakistan in India's opening game was widely regarded by many as one of the best innings in T20I history, and Kohli himself rated it as his best in the shortest format.
But while Kohli made a stunning comeback after an unusually long rough patch this year, there's one Pakistan cricketer who had drawn comparisons with Kohli in the national media during his early years, but has been shunned from the side following inconsistent performances since 2019.
Ahmed Shehzad had shown significant promise when he arrived in international cricket in 2009, merely a year after his appearance for Pakistan in the U19 World Cup a year prior to his senior debut. Now 30, Shehzad has played in 13 Tests, 81 ODIs and 59 ODIs for Pakistan so far; while his last T20I appearance came three years ago, Shehzad hasn't appeared for Pakistan in a Test or an ODI since 2017.
During a discussion on Cricket Pakistan, Shehzad spoke in detail about how comparisons with Kohli were unfair on him, and further revealed what worked in the Indian batter's favour.
“Ye cheez bade against jaati hai. Jab aap comparison karte hain, do matches me hi aap pata nahi kahan se kahan leke chale jaate hain. Comparison ho hi nahi sakta, do different individuals hain, do different zindagi jee rahe hain (The comparisons go against you. In the space of two matches, you start making exaggerated comparisons. It isn't possible, because we are two different individuals, leading two different lives),” Shehzad said.
“Unki life different guzar rahi hai, Dhoni the unke paas, meri zindagi different scenario me hai. Main hamesha se kehta hu, do cheezein hoti hain jiss se aap cricket khelte ho, ek hota hai jab har insaan aapko support kar raha ho, ek hota hai jab har insaan aapko nikaalne ki koshish kar raha ho (His life is different. He had Dhoni, my life's scenario was different. I've said this earlier, you can have two things – either you can have support from everyone, or when everyone is trying to keep you out),” Shehzad further said.