‘Wouldn’t have married’ : Shoaib Akhtar makes controversial statement on Virat Kohli
Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has always been a controversial cricketer. The veteran never shies away from speaking his heart and once again has got himself into a controversy after making a bold claim on Virat Kohli’s poor form. The Indian skipper has been struggling of late. The Master has not scored a century in the last two years. While he has got many 50+ scores, he has failed to convert them into hundreds, something Kohli was very good at.
Speaking on Kohli’s dry run, Akhtar said that Kohli should not have married as focussed more on his game, saying that having a family affects a player’s game. Akhtar said if he was Kohli, he would not have married at the peak of his career.
“I would have not even married if I were in his place. I had just scored runs and enjoyed cricket, these 10-12 years of cricket are different time and doesn’t come again, I am not saying getting married is wrong but If you are playing for India, you would have enjoyed a time a little. fans are crazy about Kohli and he had to maintain that love he is getting for the last 20 years,” Akhtar said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
“There is pressure from the children, of the family. As the responsibility increases, so does the pressure. Cricketers have a short career span of 14-15 years in which you stay at the peak for five-six years. Those years of Virat have passed, now he has to struggle,” he elaborated.
Meanwhile, Akhtar also revealed that he was never in favour of Virat Kohli becoming the India captain. Akhtar said he wanted Kohli to score hundreds and enjoy his game.
“Virat didn’t leave captaincy but was forced to do so. This is not the best of times for him but he needs to prove what he is made of. Is he made of steel or iron? Virat captained for 6-7 years and I was never in favour his Captaincy, I just wanted him to keep scoring 100, 120 runs and keep the focus on his batting,” said Akhtar who is presently part of the ongoing Legends League Cricket.