"Not As Fit As Virat Kohli": Ex Pakistan Star's Unfiltered Dig At Indian Players

23.07.2023 - 05:05 sports.ndtv.com

Virat Kohli, with his 76th International ton in the second Test against West Indies in Trinidad, broke several records. It was the former India captain's first overseas Test ton since December, 2018.

It was also his 29th Test ton, as he equalled the great Don Bradman's tally. That the century in his 500th international match made the occasion more special.

He now has the most number of tons in 500 international matches, surpassing the previous record of 75 tons, held by Sachin Tendulkar.

While lauding Kohli, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt made an interesting observation. "Virat Kohli is not only fit, he is the fittest.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team 2023 as Virat Kohli Sachin Tendulkar India Pakistan

Former Pakistan pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz finds the Babar Azam-led side a more stable unit than India as the arch-rivals have not been able to "work out" their combinations going into the Asia Cup and subsequent ODI World Cup. India will go into the Asia Cup, starting August 31, without finalising their middle-order. “Pakistan has a much more settled and stable outfit for the Asia Cup and World Cup when compared to India. The Indians have still not been able to work out their final combination for these major events,” Nawaz told the media in Lahore on Friday.

"In League Of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam": Pakistan Great Lavishes Ultimate Praise On Young Star

Pakistan national men's selection committee on Wednesday named the squads for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup 2023. The announcement came as a surprise for many fans as Shan Masood and Ihsanullah have been dropped from the side. Apart from them, another exclusion that left everyone utterly shocked was of batter Saud Shakeel, who has not been included in the Asia Cup squad. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal came in support of Shakeel and stated that the 27-year-old batter has the potential to reach the level of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam.

Not Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Or Hardik Pandya! This Star Cricketer Gave Maximum Dope Tests In 2023

While Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain the most popular Indian cricketers, it has now come to light that when it came to dope tests this year, another star cricketer was the most tested one in the sport. India captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli were not tested during the first five months of 2023. Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the India T20 International side for some time, underwent one test - 'Out Of Competition' (OOC) urine sample in April.

"Sometimes You Need To...": West Indies Star Kyle Mayers Finally Opens Up On Banter With Virat Kohli During IPL

One of the most talked about incident of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 was the face-off of Royal Challengers Bangalore's Virat Kohli with Lucknow Super Giants members, particularly mentor Gautam Gambhir and pacer Naveen-ul-Haq. Throughout the match, Kohli could be seen being quite animated whenever an LSG batter was getting dismissed during the chase. After the match ended, the Kohli and Gambhir shook hands and things looked perfectly normal. Then, LSG opener Kyle Mayers walked up to Kohli and started saying something to the RCB great.

'Take The Reality Check': How Virat Kohli's Rescue Act Helped India A Star Tide Through Bad Phase

Indian all-rounder Riyan Parag has made head turn with his blistering performance with the bat during the recently-concluded Deodhar Trophy. After back-to-back centuries in the quarter-final and semi-final, Parag smashed a brilliant 95 in a losing cause, with East Zone chasing 329 against South Zone in the final. With 354 runs and 11 wickets in the bag, Parag was named player of the tournament, despite his team losing in the final. Parag was on the receiving end of some harsh criticism after he had a miserable outing in the last edition of IPL and was brutally trolled by the fans and former cricketers for his flop show.

"Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Shouldn't Have Gone": Ex-India Star's Sharp Take On Experiments vs WI

Former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif opined that the India's ongoing tour of West Indies was taken lightly, as it witnessed a lot of experimentation and chances given to youngsters, especially in the ODI leg of the tour and judgements about the team should be made from the Asia Cup, where they should field their best playing XI. India won the ODI series against West Indies by 2-1. A lot of experiments within the squad was done. Seniors like Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma were rested and youngsters/non-regulars like Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat etc., were given chances to play.