Virat Kohli’s poor form in the recent Test series against New Zealand at home and versus Australia down under has left the BCCI and the Indian fans worried. He scored 90 odd runs against New Zealand and then made 190 runs in 9 innings in Australia with one century.
Kohli scored 382 runs in 10 Test matches since September, at 22.47, with a century and a fifty to his name, his worst-ever performance in a calendar year since making his debut.
With the England ODI series coming up, followed by the Champions Trophy, which could be his final assignment in the format for India, observers remain concerned about his form, despite the former India captain's recent performances.
While many continue to question whether or not Kohli will find form as the Champions Trophy approaches, Pakistan star Shoaib Akhtar devised a creative plan to "wake him up."
"If you want to wake up Virat Kohli, just tell him you have a match against Pakistan. Look at that innings he played in Melbourne. Hopefully, Babar Azam will do that for Pakistan. Unfortunately, Saim Ayub is injured. I was looking forward to his partnership with Fakhar Zaman. It would have been a destructive opening pair," Akhtar told Sports Tak.
India will clash with Pakistan in Dubai on February 23, the same venue where Pakistan ended their losing streak in World Cups against India with an emphatic 10-wicket win in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
"India and Pakistan are both favorites. I expect a good contest and a high-scoring game. It's time for both teams to wake up, but I hope Pakistan win. They are the hosts, and they need to win and return home then. But India is a strong side. Bumrah is a one-man army," he added.
When further asked about giving Bumrah a nickname, the Rawalpindi Express, left the reporter gobsmacked as he labelled the India fast bowler as a "legend."
"The best thing I like about Bumrah is that he is an honest fast bowler. He got his back injured but did not let India down," he added.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is the first ICC event Pakistan will be hosting since 1996 when it co-hosted the ICC World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
