KARACHI, Oct 26(ABC): India batter Virat Kohli should retire from T20I, ex-Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said, after the former skipper led the Men In Blue to victory against the Green Shirts in their World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last week.
“I want him to retire from T20I because I don’t want [him to put] his entire energy into T20I cricket. If he used all his might like he did today, he can score three centuries in ODIs,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
A jam-packed MCG witnessed one of the greatest individual innings in the shortest format of the game as Kohli scored 82 runs off 53 balls in a pressure situation to lead his side to an opening win in the mega event.
The Rawalpindi Express lavished praise on Kohli’s innings, terming it “the greatest inning of his life”.
“According to me, he played like this because he had the self-belief that he will do it,” the former pacer said.
“He was down and out for three years, he didn’t score runs, he was stripped of his captaincy and many people said many things to him.”
“People even dragged his family into it but he kept training and just a day before Diwali he played a firecracker on an innings,” Akhtar, who holds the record for the fastest bowling, said.
“He decided that this place and this stage is perfect for his comeback. The king is back and he is back with a bang and I am really happy for him. He is a great cricketer,” he said.
Kohli regained his form during the T20 Asia Cup 2022 Super Four clash against Afghanistan, where he smashed his first century after almost three years.