Virat Kohli should give up T20I cricket, focus on ODIs and Tests, feels Shoaib Akhtar (AP Photo)
Shoaib Akhtar believes Virat Kohli should look beyond the T20 format to go past Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 100 centuries.
Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar came up with a radical advice for Virat Kohli, ‘Rawalpindi Express’ has said that Kohli should no longer play T20Is as it takes too much energy, instead, the former Indian skipper should take his turn Should do Focus on ODIs and Tests to cross the mark of 100 centuries.
Virat recently hit a Test century against Australia in the fourth Test, ending his nearly three-year drought for a ton in the longest format. The innings of 186 helped India secure a drawn Fourth Test as the hosts retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.
Meanwhile, Akhtar, who has backed Kohli to cross Sachin Tendulkar’s milestone of 100 tons, has come up with a unique piece of advice for the 34-year-old.
The veteran fast bowler feels that the T20I format takes a lot of energy and even though Virat Kohli Prefers to play the shortest format, he should ‘save his body’ for Test and ODI cricket.
talking to Play Till then, Akhtar backed the talismanic batsman to continue playing for another 6 to 8 years and surpass Sachin’s incredible record of hundreds.
“As a cricketer, if you ask me, I think he should stick to Test and ODI formats only. T20 drains a lot of his energy (T20 format drains a lot of his energy),” Akhtar said.
He further added, “He is a very upbeat character. He wants to be there, he wants to look good. He wants to have a good time in T20Is. he likes it. But sometimes he needs to save his body. How old is he now? 34 right? He can easily play for around 6 to 8 years. If he plays 30-50 more Test matches, I am sure it will not be difficult for him to score 25 hundreds in those Test matches.
While Virat had gone almost 2 years without scoring a century in all the three formats, runs have been flowing consistently with his bat since last year’s Asia Cup. He played some memorable innings after taking a break from cricket and returned in excellent form. However, Akhtar also said that surpassing Sachin’s challenging milestone won’t be easy and will earn Virat Kohli a lot of praise from Indian fans.
However, it will still be an uphill task for him in terms of fitness and mental health. Luckily, he is a strong boy, he is a Punjabi boy. It’s great that he is in a good mood. He is concentrating and enjoying cricket. So he should stay focused and cross the 100-hundred mark,” Shoaib Akhtar said.
He further added, “And India will appreciate him a lot. And all this nonsense about Babar Azam and Virat Kohli – they are great players. Who is bigger than Kohli or Babar in Asia? No one So all these petty things are done just to get attention.”
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