Virat Kohli’s poor form has become the talk of the town as the former India captain has not been among the runs in the ongoing series against England while the former Pakistani pacer says the batter should focus on his batting.
Virat Kohli is struggling with the bat for a long time and his poor form has become the talk of the town as the former India captain has not been among the runs in the ongoing series against England.
Kapil Dev had earlier expressed that if a No. 2 ranked bowler like Ravichandran Ashwin can be dropped from Tests, then so can Virat be dropped from T20Is.
However, Pakistan legend pacer Shoaib Akhtar has responded to these remarks, saying Kapil Dev can have his viewpoint. He also praised Kohli, saying the batter should focus on his batting.
“I am hearing a lot of criticism about Virat Kohli. It is being said that he should be dropped. Virat Kohli is finished, this is right. There is nothing more left in his career, this is also right and he would not be able to do anything more in his career, this is right, these types of things other people are saying to me. I told them, that Virat Kohli is the greatest player, in the last 10 years, if there has been any greatest player, it is Virat. He has 1-2 bad years, he still has scored runs, just the century has not come,”
Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
“You are just humiliating the guy in the media, to discredit him is not right, I do not know how can one talk about dropping him? Kapil Dev is my senior; I respect him and he has his own opinion. He is a legend; he can voice his opinion. A great cricketer can talk like that. Virat Kohli has 70 centuries and only a great player can score as many runs,”
he added.
Further talking about Virat, Akhtar said:
“Virat should focus on his batting, if you do not perform, there is nothing wrong. All these things are happening, these are happening so that you become a bigger cricketer. You should not be scared; one should realize that they are up against a tough cricketer. You must stay at the wicket, the more you stay in the middle, the better it will become for you. You should away from social media and not pay attention to the criticism.”
Virat Kohli had scored his last hundred in 2019 and after that, the three-figure mark has evaded him. Kohli had failed to get moving in the Edgbaston Test and then the two T20Is against England.
Kohli will not be added to the squad in the upcoming ODI and T20I series against West Indies, starting July 22. News agency PTI had reported that Kohli has been rested for the series.