Shoaib Akhtar discusses Virat Kohli's captaincy saga: His anger should not be reflected on people but his batting
India Today
Speaking to Sports Tak from Oman, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said Virat Kohli will overcome trying times and that the former India captain needs to focus on letting his bat do all the talking.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has backed Virat Kohli to overcome testing times and bounce back as he urged the former India captain to put behind the captaincy saga and focus on his batting.
Speaking exclusively to Sports Tak from Oman, Shoaib Akhtar, who is plying his trade for Asaia Lions in the Legends League Cricket, said there are "lobbies against him" and that is the reason he quit captaincy of the senior national team.
Akhtar, who is known for speaking his mind, highlighted that Kohli may be angry over the recent developments but his anger should be focused on delivering with the bat and not snowball into bitterness. He added that Kohli needs to understand that he is a great of the game and that he is capable of scoring even 50 more hundreds at the international level.
"It was a tight scenario for Virat. I was in Dubai and I was aware that if he wouldn't have won the T20 World Cup, it would have become a big problem for him and it did happen. There are lobbies against him and there are people against him and that is the reason why he stepped down," Akhtar told India Today.
"Whoever enjoys the star status, will always face problems but there's nothing to fear about. Anushka (Kohli's wife) is a very nice lady and Virat is a great guy. He just needs to be brave and not be afraid of anything. The whole country loves him, just that these are testing times for him and he needs to come strongly out of it."
Akhtar's comments come after Virat Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain following a series defeat in South Africa earlier this month. Kohli's decision to quit the Test leadership role comes weeks after he was sacked as ODI captain.
Kohli kicked up a storm when he alleged that there was miscommunication between him and the BCCI over his decision to quit T20I captaincy in September last year. Kohli also alleged that he was informed about the selectors' decision to remove him as ODI captain only 90 minutes before a selection meeting to pick India's Test team for the South Africa tour.
