Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar backed Virat Kohli and expects him to do well despite his struggles. The 36-year-old has been under the pump after his repeated failures during the recent tour of Australia. Kohli scored 190 runs which also includes a century but was dismissed eight times getting caught behind.
Sports Tak asked Shoaib Akhtar what he had to say about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not being in form. The former pacer replied, “If you have to wake up Virat Kohli then tell there is a match against Pakistan and he will wake up for sure. He has always done well against Pakistan. You cannot forget the innings he played in Melbourne.”
The former Pakistani star also said, “Lot of other stars will also wake up and come into their own. Hopefully, even Babar Azam can come into his own and show his talents. Hopefully the match is competitive and Virat and Babar both score runs. It will be fun to watch. From our side hopefully Shaheen (Afridi) and from you side Jasprit (Bumrah) can do well, also hoping Naseem can do well.”
Shoaib Akhtar looking forward to exciting game
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar also expressed his regret over Saim Ayub missing the tournament. The young batter injured himself during the second Test match against South Africa just a week ago. Akhtar said, “We are at loss after Saim Ayub’s injury. I don’t know if he will be able to make it. If he and Fakhar (Zaman) open the batting then it will be a disaster for opposition bowlers. Because both are destructive batters. It would have been so much. I was so looking forward to see them. Both have the same positive mindset. Saim and Fakhar would have been able to create lot more excitement. But let’s see what happens.”
When asked by Sports Tak, if Shoaib wants to see Yashasvi Jaiswal open the batting, the former pacer said, “He is a very talented boy. He is very entertaining and committed player. Hats off to him for scoring runs in difficult circumstances that was put in front of him in Australia. What a talent! I really want to see him open the batting.”
The conversation also moved to India’s bowling attack to which Shoaib Akhtar said, “Shami is a very good bowler, obviously everyone has their forte and Shami is a honest fast bowler. Both Shami and Jasprit are good bowlers. I don’t if you will play Kuldeep (Yadav) and Ravindra Jadeja is also there. India has a lot of bowling options.”