Former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi denied giving any advice to Virat Kohli. He believes that the Delhi-born batter has to perform because there are big expectations from him.
It’s been a while since we have heard praise related to Kohli. The reason behind this is the former Indian skipper’s dry spell with the bat. There was a time when the 33-year-old used to smash centuries for fun but these days he’s struggling to get even a half-century.
Things have turned this much worse for him that even his place in the side has been questioned and many are criticizing him for blocking the way for the youngsters. The recent white-ball games against England were horrendous for him as he manage only 45 runs across two T20Is, and two ODIs he played and made 20 and 11 in the one-off Test.
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Many experts and fans have advised him and suggested ways to return to form. Some are of the opinion that he should try leaving balls outside off while a few say that he needs a prolonged break to be fresh.
Speaking to reporters in Pakistan, Shahid Afridi refused to give any advice to Kohli. He said that the right-hander has to perform because of the expectations and there’s no other way for him.
“Why would he care about my advice? He has to perform because the expectations from Virat are so high. And for a very long time, there has been no performance from him according to the standards that he has set for himself,” Shahid Afridi said.
Afridi also asked talked about Pakistan's upcoming matches against arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup 2022 and then in the T20 World Cup 2022. He said that although the Babar Azam-led side doesn’t have a good bench strength, the first 11 players are very strong and will bring good results.
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“As far as the Pakistan team is concerned, it is a balanced side. I hope that not only in Asia Cup but even in the World Cup, our performances will be good. I hope the players are fit because I don't see much strength on the bench. But the 11-12 first-team players that we have, they are very strong and I hope they will bring in good results,” he said.
Few reports suggested that selectors are keen to send Kohli to Zimbabwe so that he can return to form ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup 2022. His returning to form will be one of the biggest positives for Team India, especially with two big tournaments around the corner.
(Firstpost inputs)
