"As A Pakistani I am Saying" Kohli Is The "Greatest Player Of All Time" - Shoaib Akhtar backs Virat Kohli to score big runs
Virat Kohli needs no introduction in the world of cricket. Despite having bad form, he is among the greatest of all time. His numbers are staggering and his presence in the middle is certainly a sign of danger for any opposition. But for the last few years, he has been struggling with his batting form.
He has got starts and has some 50+ scores, but hasn't converted those to a big innings or a match-winning one. As a result, the former Indian skipper hasn't crossed the 100-run mark since almost three years ago and over 100 games. He scored the last century against Bangladesh in November 2019, since when there has been a total century drought.
In the IPL as well, he looked off-color. In 16 IPL innings this season, he scored 341 runs at a below-par average of 22.73, with only two scores of 50+. He didn't score anything in both playoff games. The former RCB scored 25 off 24 against LSG and 7 off 8 against RR in the Eliminator.
Many ex-cricketers and analysts have criticised him for his poor form. However, there are also a few who have backed him and said that he will bounce back. Former Pakistani speedster, Shoaib Akhtar, is also one of those who reckons that Virat has a lot of cricket left in him.
During a discussion on Spoortskeeda, Akhtar said that everyone needs to respect him irrespective of his bad form. He also said that Virat is still the greatest batsman of all time. The former pacer said, "As a Pakistani, I am saying, he is the greatest player of all time. I can bet that he will score 110 centuries."
Akhtar further added that there is no need to panic for the former Indian captain and he can still play cricket till he is 45. Highlighting the rough patch, the Pakistani ex-pacer said that the current situation is demanding Virat to come hard and play aggressive and prepare himself to even score 110 international centuries.
Pointing at some social media critics, Akhtar said that many have criticised the former Indian skipper for anything he is posting and also talking about his wife and kid, which is already the worst situation he can go through. He concluded, "Nature is preparing you to score 110 tons. So, keep my words in mind and start slogging it out from today itself."
Notably, Virat is still among the modern-day greats and was in dream form between 2015 and 2019. But since the start of the COVID-19, he has struggled in all forms of the game. However, everyone is still hoping that he can find his form back and score runs for the team.