Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said that he would not have got married for 10-12 years had he been in place of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. He said that he never wanted Kohli to become captain and get married till he retired from international cricket.
“I do not know what is right, what is wrong. It has all happened, now how to go ahead from here matters. Kohli has the bat, he does not want to be dropped from the team. Performance pressure will be there on him, I wanted him to score 120 tons and not become the captain and get married after he was done with cricket,” Akhtar said in an interview to ANI.
He said that even though he respects Kohli’s decision in terms of getting married, he would have focused on cricket had he been in Virat’s shoes. “If I was in India… I would not have married. I would have focused on my cricket, this is my thinking. It was Kohli's personal decision. If you asked me, I would have focused on my cricket,” he said further.
Also read| South Africa sends proposal to BCCI to host IPL: Report
Speaking his mind on the Indian cricket captaincy saga which has unfolded in the last 4 months, Akhtar said that Virat was forcefully relieved from the captaincy across all the formats. “"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,” Akhtar quipped in the interview.
He encouraged Virat to get his form back by improving his batting technique as well as enjoying the natural flow of the game. “He plays a lot with his bottom hand and I think when the form is out, bottom hand players usually are the first ones to get in trouble. I think he's gonna come out of this… Do not try too many things, just go out there and play cricket. He is a great batsman and has achieved more than anyone else in the world. He just needs to go out there and play with his natural flow,” Akhtar further commented.
Regarding the next test captain, Akhtar said that the BCCI will make a prudent decision as to which player is the most capable of leading India in the longest format. Virat Kohli was asked to step down from the limited-overs captaincy last year. This month, Kohli announced that he was stepping down from the test captaincy as well after a disappointing 2-1 away loss to South Africa.
Also read| Asia Cup Hockey: India beat Singapore 9-1 to clinch semis berth
ICC also declared the schedule of 2022 T20 World Cup to be held in Australia this year. India will take on Pakistan at the MCG on 23 October. When asked about his views on this match, Akhtar said that “We will beat India again in Melbourne. Pakistan is a better side than India in T20 cricket. It's the Indian media that make unnecessary pressure on their team whenever we have the clash of both countries in cricket, it's normal for India to lose.” Akhtar is curretly playing for the Asia Lions in the Legends Cricket League in Oman.
