Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has always been supportive of Virat Kohli. It often happens when Virat Kohli gets admiration from him and he was one of those few players who motivated him during his rough phase where he was unable to score any century.
Moreover, Kohli has lost form in ODI and T20Is but he is still struggling in the longest format of the game. One of the most gifted batters in the current age, Kohli has some remarkable records to his name. Also, the batter has broken records set by many former cricketers.
The former Pakistan speedster recently highlighted why he is so supportive of Kohli and noted that there was a time when India used to win matches simply on the back of Kohli’s innings.
Speaking to Bol news as quoted by Hindustan Times, Akhtar said, “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.”
Talking further Akhtar made an interesting comparison between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Akhtar said that even a legend like Sachin Tendulkar saw his rough phase when he was appointed as captain. The former PAK player said that Tendulkar gave up his captaincy and focused on his batting. He said that it happened the same with Kohli but the former Indian captain will come very hard with the bat. He showed some glimpses during the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Akhtar said, “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.”
