Shoaib Akhtar urged critics to give Virat Kohli the respect he deserves: Former Pakistan speedster, Shoaib Akhtar has landed in support of Virat Kohli as he found himself amidst criticism for his poor run of form. Akhtar asked the critics to pay the respect Kohli deserves for his sublime performance over the years.
Indian batting maestro has been under the scanner for quite some time now for his lean performances. Virat Kohli hasn’t managed to raise his bat to celebrate a triple-figure score in cricket since 2019.
Moreover, his performance in the recently wrapped IPL 2022 has been underwhelming. Kohli could only manage to score 341 runs in 16 innings at an average of 22.73.
However, Shoaib Akhtar wants critics to say good things about Kohli as the budding cricketers look up to him.
“Before passing statements, people should understand that small kids look up to them. Say good things about Virat Kohli. Give him the respect he deserves. As a Pakistani, I am saying that he is the greatest player of all time. I want him to score 110 centuries in international cricket. I want him to play till the age of 45,” Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
The former cricketer further said that this heavy patch in his career is preparing him for something big ahead. Virat Kohli last brought up his century in Eden Gardens on 22nd November 2019 against Bangladesh in a test match. Although Virat has touched the 70s and 80s run marks quite a few times, however, his quest for the 71st century is still unfulfilled.
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“This tough situation is preparing you for 110 centuries. People are writing you off, tweeting against you. If you tweet about Diwali, you are criticised. People tweet about your wife and kid. When you lose the World Cup, you are heavily criticised. Things cannot get any worse. Just go out there, and show everyone who Virat Kohli is,” he added.
Shoaib Akhtar lavished praises on cricketing god, Sachin Tendulkar for his neutral behaviour in such matters. He lauded Tendulkar for his calmness and how he respect other cricketers.
“Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest and humblest guy ever. I really adore him when it comes to his behavior and nature. He is always thoughtful about what he says and respects other cricketers. People should learn from Sachin Tendulkar. Despite being such a great cricketer, he doesn’t tweet or say anything that can hurt anyone. Similarly, other former cricketers should give mature statements,” he said.
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