‘I want him to retire from T20I’ – Shoaib Akhtar after Virat Kohli’s heroics against Pakistan

Post the retirement, Shoaib Akhtar has been an active figure on social media platforms as he regularly passes his verdicts on different matters. The former Pakistani pacer recently passed a surprising statement on Virat Kohli, who recently played one of the best T20I knocks against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The Indian batter scored an unbeaten 82 off just 53 deliveries in the high pressure match. India needed 48 runs off the last three overs and it looked like the game was very much done in favor of the Men in Green. However, Kohli had different plans as he switched his gears to the next level.

The 33-year-old smashed Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to leave 16 runs for the over. Mohammad Nawaz, who bowled the last over, made a couple of mistakes under pressure, which Kohli utilized to his maximum. As a result, India scripted a memorable win over arch-rivals on the eve of Diwali.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: It won’t be Virat Kohli’s last World Cup – Rajkumar Sharma

He can score three centuries in ODIs: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar feels it was Kohli’s career-best innings and he is happy for the comeback of the Indian great. He also pointed out that people even dragged Kohli’s family when his form saw a dip in the last couple of years.

“According to me, he played the greatest innings of his life against Pakistan. He played like this because he had the self belief that he will do it. He was down and out for 3 years, he didn’t score runs, he was stripped of his captaincy and a lot of people said a lot of things to him.

People even dragged his family into it but he kept training and put in the graft and just a day before Diwali, he played a firecracker on an innings. He decided that this place and this stage is perfect for his comeback. The king is back and he is back with a bang and I am really happy for him. He is a great cricketer,” the Pakistan legend added.

The 47-year-old went on to say that he wants Kohli to retire from T20I cricket so that the right-handed batter can save his energy to score centuries in the ODI format. “I want him to retire from T20I because I don’t want that he puts his entire energy in T20I cricket. If he used all his might like he did today, he can score three centuries in ODIs,” he said.

Team India will next lock horns against the Netherlands on Thursday (October 27) before heading into a crucial fixture against the mighty Proteas on Sunday.

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