"Why Should I Not...": Shoaib Akhtar's Sharp Reaction When Asked About Praising Virat Kohli

Regarded by many as the greatest batter of his generation, Virat Kohli's dip in form over the last two-three years was one of the biggest topic of discussions in the cricketing folklore. Kohli, who ended his century drought during the Asia Cup last year, had taken a one-month break from cricket in August last year to work on his mental fitness. The 34-year-old came back strongly and lit up the T20 World Cup with his match-winning knock against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, who has been an ardent admirer of Kohli, has now revealed why he always spoke highly of the former India captain.

"See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batter in the world. But as a captain, he seemed lost. He left the captaincy himself. I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he lit up the T20 World Cup. It seemed that god had organised the tournament just for him to make a comeback," Akhtar said on Suno News.

"You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. Log kehte hain tum Virat ki bohot tareef karte ho, main kehta hu kaise naa karu? (People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, why shouldn't i do that?) During one stage, India used to win because of Virat's hundreds," he added.

Kohli is currently part of the Indian team for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. However, the star batter has failed to score a big knock in the three Tests so far.