Published 21:41 IST, December 23rd 2019
Shoaib Akhtar believes India under Virat Kohli similar to Imran Khan's reign as skipper
Pakistan fast-bowler, Shoaib Akhtar on Monday compared and said that Virat Kohli's captaincy to that of former Pakistan skipper and current PM Imran Khan
Advertisement
Soon after India clinched a 2-1 series win against West Indies on Sunday, Former Pakistan fast-bowler, Shoaib Akhtar on Monday compared Virat Kohli's captaincy to that of former Pakistan skipper and current Prime Minister Imran Khan. On his YouTube channel, Akhtar said that the Indian skipper had set high standards for players on the field and off the field as well and also stated that the current Pakistan team should take cues from the Indian team. Furthermore, he added that Kohli is a fitness freak and his team follows him ardently.
'Kohli plays with a lot of intensity'
The former Pakistan pacer, who is also known as the 'Rawalpindi Express' has been taking on to YouTube since quite a while now to express his views and highlight his opinions. Akhtar while comparing Kohli to Imran Khan said, "During Imran Khan's captaincy, when he would come to the ground, he would never listen to anyone. He would train extremely, run 10 laps of the ground, bowl in the nets for three hours and it was compulsory for everyone in the team to do the same. Secondly, Pakistan was given only one plan, to win. India are now replicating that. Khan was not a tactical captain but he knew how to gather match-winners for the team."
"India has a captain with strong character now. Kohli plays with a lot of intensity, scores a lot of runs and the rest of the team also has to live up to his standards. Not only do the players follow him on-field but off the field as well. Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali have to look at Kohli's India and reflect how Pakistan can improve," Akhtar added.
India seal series against WI 2-1
Virat Kohli anchored a tricky chase before Shardul Thakur played the most defining cameo of his short career to power India to a series-winning four-wicket victory over the West Indies in the third ODI in Cuttack on Sunday. India's top three, Rohit Sharma (63), KL Rahul (77) and Virat Kohli (85), fired in unison in a 316-run chase but it got slippery in the end when the Indian captain left the scene with 30 required off 23 balls. It was then that Thakur, in the company of a composed Ravindra Jadeja, smashed 17 runs off six balls with the help of a six and four off Sheldon Cottrell to seal the issue in his team's favour with eight balls to spare. Meanwhile, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by a comfortable margin of 263 runs in the second Test to secure a home series win after around 10 years.
20:07 IST, December 23rd 2019