Srinagar: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has made a strong statement about Virat Kohli breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s century record.
Shoaib Akhtar said that the Kohli should only prioritise playing two of the oldest formats in international cricket.
“As a cricketer, if you ask me, I feel he should stick with only Test and ODI formats. T20I unki energy bahot nikaal deta hai (T20I format drains a lot of his energy). He is a very excited kind of character. He wants to be out there, he wants to look good. He wants to have a good time in T20Is. He likes it. But at times, he needs to save his body. How old is he right now? 34 right? Easily he can play for about 6 to 8 years. If he plays 30-50 more Test matches, I’m sure it won’t be difficult for him to score 25 centuries in those Test matches,” Akhtar told Sports Tak.
Before his batting masterclass against Australia in the Test series decider at Ahmedabad, Kohli had failed to slam a century in 41 consecutive innings for Team India. Kohli’s 28th Test ton was also his 8th century against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“However, it will still be a daunting task for him in terms of fitness and mental health. Luckily, he is a strong guy, he is a Punjabi guy. It’s great that he is in a good frame of mind. He is concentrating and having a good time with his cricket. So he should remain focused and cross the 100-century barrier. And India will reserve high praise for him. And all these trash talks about Babar Azam and Virat Kohli – these are great players. Who is bigger than Kohli or Babar in Asia? No one. So all these loose talks are done just to grab attention,” Akhtar added.