Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar called India’s Virat Kohli the greatest batter of all time and slammed his critics.
This comes after Virat Kohli has not scored an international century since November 2019 and he recently failed to be at his usual flowing self in the IPL 2022 as well, scoring two fifties and three golden ducks, amassing 341 runs in 16 matches at an average of 22.73.
However, Akhtar wants the critics to give some respect to Virat Kohli which he deserves. Not only this, Akhtar said that he wants Kohli to slam more than 100 international centuries as he feels the current tough situation is preparing him to achieve the massive milestone.
“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.
This tough situation is preparing you for 110 centuries. People are writing you off, tweeting against you. If you tweet about Diwali, you are criticized. People tweet about your wife and kid. When you lose the World Cup, you are heavily criticized. Things cannot get any worse. Just go out there, and show everyone who Virat Kohli is,” Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
Apart from Kohli, Akhtar also lauded Sachin Tendulkar and said that the critics and some former cricketers should learn from him and put out mature statements on social media.
“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.
