Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has made a surprising statement regarding the downfall of Virat Kohli. He feels marriage affected Kohli's game and if he was in his place, he wouldn't have tied the knot.
Kohli, who recently quit Test captaincy, is married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. The couple were dating each other for a while before getting hitched in 2017.
Speaking to Dainik Jagran on Kohli's decision to step down as Test captain Akhtar said he was forced to give up the role. The Ex-Pakistan pacer also said that he was never in favor of him being India's captain, in the first place.
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"Virat didn't leave captaincy but was forced to do so. This is not the best of times for him but he needs to prove what he is made of. Is he made of steel or iron?
"Virat captained for 6-7 years and I was never in favour his Captaincy, I just wanted him to keep scoring 100, 120 runs and keep the focus on his batting," he said.
Akhtar wanted Kohli to focus on his batting and continue his batting domination by scoring lots of runs. He further explained that Kohli getting married wasn't wrong, but the 33-year-old had to return the love to his fans by keeping the batting form.
"I would have not even married if I were in his place. I had just scored runs and enjoyed cricket, these 10-12 years of cricket are different time and doesn't come again, I am not saying getting married is wrong but If you are playing for India, you would have enjoyed a time a little. Fans are crazy about Kohli and he had to maintain that love he is getting for the last 20 years," he added.
The 46-year-old agreed that marriage does play a role in adding pressure on the players. "Absolutely, yes. There is pressure from the children, of the family. As the responsibility increases, so does the pressure.
"Cricketers have a short career span of 14-15 years in which you stay at the peak for five-six years. Those years of Virat have passed, now he has to struggle," he elaborated.
Adding more to it, Akhtar said that team's captain should get married only after giving up the role. "As a captain, you have to think a lot. I am not against marriage but I believe play while playing, there shouldn't be much pressure, play freely, pick up your things and play fiercely. I got married when I retired from cricket. As a Captain, you have to face the media, the brand, all the things which come with it," he added.
(With Dainik Jagran Inputs)
