Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistani cricketer, recently replied to Virat Kohli words from five years ago, know what he had to say on him
He said that if the former Indian captain had been bowling against him, he would not have scored as many runs or hundreds.
Kohli is regarded as one of the finest batters in the history of cricket. The right-handed pitcher has engraved his name in practically every batting record book and is still going strong.
Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistan bowler, has stated that he wants Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Virat Kohli to concentrate and think of himself as an average player.
Shoaib Akhtar Comments On Virat Kohli And His Waning Form
Kohli has scored 23650 runs in 458 international games, including 70 centuries and 122 half-centuries. He’s also the world’s seventh-highest run-scorer, and India’s third-highest after Sachin Tendulkar (34357 runs) and Rahul Dravid (24208 runs).
Akhtar, on the other hand, was one of the fastest runners in the sport’s history. The fast bowler has always been the center of attention for his off-field antics. Akhtar, also known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express,’ set multiple records. Including becoming the first bowler to breach the 100 mph threshold.
“Virat Kohli is a good person and a big cricketer and you only expect big words from big players. And I thank him a lot for that. But, if I would have played against Virat Kohli then he would not have scored these many runs but whatever he would have scored those would have been fabulous and it would look that he really fought hard for those runs.
“He may not have had 50 centuries. 20 or 25 may at the most but those would have been valiant hundreds. I would have gotten the best out of Virat Kohli,” Akhtar said in response to Kohli’s statement on him in 2017.
Akhtar played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is for Pakistan, and is well known for his combative nature. He got 178 wickets in the longest format and 247 wickets in the 50-over format, in addition to 19 wickets in T20Is.
Shoaib Akhtar "if I'd have played against Virat Kohli then he would not have scored this many runs. Whatever he would have scored would have been fabulous and he would have had to really fight hard for those runs" #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) April 17, 2022
IPL 2022: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said that he wants Royal Challengers Bangalore batter Virat Kohli to focus and consider himself as an ordinary player. pic.twitter.com/eGSSnNUV07
— Power Sportz (@powersportz_tv) April 17, 2022
Many people have yearned for a clash between Kohli and Akhtar over the years, and there have been several fan fights involving supporters of both nations throughout the years.
Once upon a time, the two got the opportunity to play against one other. It happened during an Asia Cup encounter between India and Pakistan in Sri Lanka in 2010. They both played in the starting XI for their respective nations, but Kohli’s early departure ended the match.
Then, in 2017, Kohli discussed the match with Akhtar. He claimed that, despite the fact that he couldn’t face him, the pacer appeared to be quite lethal and that batters wouldn’t want to face him at his best.
Akhtar has responded to Kohli’s remark five years later. While appreciating the Indian cricketer for his compliments, the former Pakistani speedster stated that if he had played against him, he would have pulled the most out of him.
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