Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has claimed in a recent interview that if he had bowled against former India skipper Virat Kohli, the latter would not have managed to score as many runs as he did in his career. It is to be noted that both Kohli and Akhtar played against each other only once, during the 2010 Asia Cup. However, Kohli did not get the chance to face the Rawalpindi Express in that match.
Previously, the 33-year-old had expressed his desire to face Akhtar. He emphasized the fact that he likes a challenge and would have enjoyed competing against the world’s fastest bowler. To note, Akhtar has criticized Kohli due to his lack of form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and also stated that big players should be dropped if they don’t perform for the team.
“Virat Kohli is a good person and a big cricketer and you only expect big words from big players. And I thank him a lot for that. But, if I would have played against Virat Kohli then he would not have scored these many runs but whatever he would have scored those would have been fabulous and it would look that he fought hard for those runs,” he said in an interview with an Indian media outlet.
Akhtar further said that he would have 'gotten the best out of Kohli'. “He may not have had 50 centuries. 20 or 25 may at the most but those would have been valiant hundreds. I would have gotten the best out of Virat Kohli,” he further added.
Talking about Kohli’s numbers in international cricket, the 33-year-old has played 458 matches in all three formats of the game and has amassed 23,650 runs. The right-handed batter has also stroked a total of 122 fifties and 70 hundred in the international arena. In IPL, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper has played 214 matches and has scored 6402 runs at an average of 36.79.
His current form in the IPL has not been up to the mark. Kohli was removed for a Golden Duck in their last match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). His highest score for the season came against the Mumbai Indians (MI) when Kohli hit 48 in his team's winning cause.
