Before the Asia Cup 2022, questions were raised over Virat Kohli’s place in the Indian team as he was enduring an extended lean patch. However, the veteran campaigner silenced his critics by finishing the six-team competition as the second highest run-getter with 276 runs to his name from five innings.
During the tournament, Virat also ended his much-talked-about century drought as he slammed 122* off 61 balls in India’s last Super-4 clash against Afghanistan.
After regaining his form in the Asia Cup, Kohli started dominating bowling attacks once again. He had a great time in the 2022 T20 World Cup Down Under, amassing 296 runs at a staggering average of 98.66 and at a decent strike rate of 136.40 with four half-centuries, including a memorable 53-ball 82* against Pakistan in India's opening fixture.
While a number of former players and fans cheered for Virat Kohli on his comeback, one ex-cricketer who had remained a staunch supporter of the star batter even during his rough phase is Shoaib Akhtar.
The Rawalpindi Express has now revealed why he always spoke highly of Kohli, and also cited Sachin Tendulkar’s name as he drew a reference of the batting maestro.
“See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. But as a captain, he was lost. He left the captaincy himself. I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he ruled the T20 World Cup,” said Akhtar on Suno News.
“You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. Log kehte hain tum Virat ki bohot tareef karte ho, main kehta hu kaise naa karu? (People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, why shouldn't i do that?) During one stage, India used to win because of Virat's hundreds,” he added.
Virat Kohli is currently featuring in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home. In the ongoing Test series, he has failed to make a mark so far, registering scores of 12, 44, 20, 22 and 13 in five innings.
