"As A Pakistani I am Saying" Virat Kohli Is The "Greatest Player Of All Time": Shoaib Akhtar

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"As A Pakistani I am Saying" Virat Kohli Is The "Greatest Player Of All Time": Shoaib Akhtar

Virat Kohli has had a difficult time of late as a batter. He has not scored an international century since November 2019 and struggled to get going in IPL 2022. The former Indian cricket team captain could not perform up to the expectation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli scored 341 runs in 16 matches at an average of 22.73. He scored two half-centuries, but failed to take his team into the IPL final. While there have been mixed reactions to Kohli's dry spell, several former cricketers have come down hard on him after his recent string of poor scores.

However, former Pakistan pace great Shoaib Akhtar has come out in support of Kohli.

"You say good things about Virat Kohli. Give him respect. Why do you not give Virat Kohli respect? As a Pakistani I am saying, he is the greatest player of all time. I can bet that he will score 110 centuries," Akhtar said in an interview.

Then in a direct message to Kohli, Akhtar said: "Don't get afraid and you have to play till the age of 45. The current situation is preparing you to hit 110 centuries. People are writing you off, they are tweeting against you. You put out a post on Diwali, you are criticised. They tweet about your wife, your kid. Nothing can be worse than this. Nature is preparing you to score 110 tons. So, keep my words in mind and start slogging it out from today itself."

Kohli had hit a purple patch between 2015 to 2019 amassing centuries at will across formats and also guiding the team to greater heights.

But things have not gone his away since the beginning of the pandemic and Indian cricket fans would hope that Akhtar's words inspire Kohli to come out with his best again.

NDTV

 

[sweep_shot]

Greatest player of all time? I don't think so.

Bradman and Tendulkar were better than him.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

YouTube views must be drying up.

 

[Kianig89]

Shoaib strikes again - I'd say Tendulkar >> Kohli

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Shoaib is being conservative here.

I bet he can hit 130 centuries - he just has to play until he he is 50 and cannot be afraid.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Kohli > Tendulkar anyday!

 

[sweep_shot]

Kohli > Tendulkar anyday!

Tendulkar faced better bowlers and he did so on more challenging pitches. There were also biased home umpires then.

Furthermore, cricket is far more batting-friendly now than it was during Tendulkar's time.

Kohli had it quite easy compared to Tendulkar.

 

[kukkad kamaal]

Babar Azam >> Kohli

 

[CricketingMinds]

Tendulkar faced better bowlers and he did so on more challenging pitches. There were also biased home umpires then.

Furthermore, cricket is far more batting-friendly now than it was during Tendulkar's time.

Kohli had it quite easy compared to Tendulkar.

The statement "Tendulkar faced better bowlers" is extremely subjective. Here is a more "objective" take on this statement.

The bowling avg in the past 5 years have been the lowest ever. Source: https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/s...t-test-era-is-among-the-very-best-for-bowling

So statistically speaking, your statement is not true.

 

[Hitman]

Goodness! First he says in the interview that Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest. Then a few moments later in the same interview he says Virat Kohli is the greatest )

 

[sweep_shot]

The statement "Tendulkar faced better bowlers" is extremely subjective. Here is a more "objective" take on this statement.

The bowling avg in the past 5 years have been the lowest ever. Source: https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/s...t-test-era-is-among-the-very-best-for-bowling

So statistically speaking, your statement is not true.

Batting quality in the past 5 years was quite junk too (compared to Tendulkar's era).

 

[Savak]

The greatest player of all time does not go on for 3 years without a century in any format.

 

[TheSultan]

This is an example of a cricketer making random statements of who is the greatest player. One day they’ll say Kohli, one day Lara etc etc.

It’s funny in 10 years time some indian will point to this statement to say “oh look ex cricketers say Kohli is the best”

 

[Hitman]

This is an example of a cricketer making random statements of who is the greatest player. One day they’ll say Kohli, one day Lara etc etc.

It’s funny in 10 years time some indian will point to this statement to say “oh look ex cricketers say Kohli is the best”

Not really. Nobody takes the opinion of a mediocre cricketer like Akhtar seriously. It would have been a different thing if a legend like McGrath said it.

 

[PakLFC]

I would argue even the likes of Dravid and Miandad were better the Kohli in certain match circumstances. Sachin is still the GOAT unless and until Kohli can better his record.

 

[Rajdeep]

As an Indian, I am saying he is WROGN

 

[Double Trouble]

You got love Shoaib he truly keeps everyone entertained.

In real life of you ever meet him he is like a stand up comedian he’s that hilarious.

I will bowl faster & faster in the near future. A few months later he gets caught for using nandrolone

 

[moghul]

What exactly is Akhtar smoking lately . Never speaks anything sensible, whatever sells .

 

[Usman]

Shoaib Akther is one of life’s irritating people who sucks up to others, particularly those living in foreign lands, in the hope that they give him some validation in return. I once listened to a radio channel where Shoaib spoke to Freddy Flintoff and frankly, it was embarrassing how much Shoaib sucked up to Freddy. “Oh Freddy I need to thank you, because you are responsible for ever success in my career”. To which Freddy was like huh what?!?

Even in this “Virat is the best human ever to have existed” rubbish statement, Shoaib cannot resist addressing his comments directly to Virat. This is a desperate attempt by Shoaib to get a reaction from Virat, a “thanks Shoaib” type comment, which will give Shoaib validation and a feeling of self worth.

It really is sad behaviour. Especially from someone who did not behave in such a suck-up way during his playing days.

 

[ads101]

He probably is over all formats. Often sportsmen in the modern era are better than before given the game has evolved and they have built on the foundations from the past. I think Kohli is probably a bit worse in Tests than Tendulkar but the gap between him and Tendulkar in LOI is big. I think LOI batsmen have improved greatly over even this last decade, especially power hitting. It’s also rather strange how Tendulkar had actual successors/cricketers after him like Kohli, Rohit even Sehwag, Ghambir, Dhoni etc. it’s hard to think of any cricketers younger than Kohli who are at the same level/better than him even in teams other than India. Which perhaps suggest Kohli’s success compared to last legends wasn’t due to easier conditions if the younger guys are struggling to replicate it.

 

[shamaan]

Miadad is as good as Kohli.

 

[AMSS]

The hormonal teenager with wild mood swings and everything else that goes on with it - lives on in Shoaib.

 

[Shaddy86]

Didn't he say a few weeks back that Kohli wouldnt have scored this much during his time? While he himself used to get PHAINTA (his fav word) from some of the mediocre batsmen of his time.
This guy is either just me, me, me or pleasing the Indian subscribers. Hardly ever says anything sensible.

 

[topspin]

Shoaib Akther is one of life’s irritating people who sucks up to others, particularly those living in foreign lands, in the hope that they give him some validation in return. I once listened to a radio channel where Shoaib spoke to Freddy Flintoff and frankly, it was embarrassing how much Shoaib sucked up to Freddy. “Oh Freddy I need to thank you, because you are responsible for ever success in my career”. To which Freddy was like huh what?!?

Even in this “Virat is the best human ever to have existed” rubbish statement, Shoaib cannot resist addressing his comments directly to Virat. This is a desperate attempt by Shoaib to get a reaction from Virat, a “thanks Shoaib” type comment, which will give Shoaib validation and a feeling of self worth.

It really is sad behaviour. Especially from someone who did not behave in such a suck-up way during his playing days.

Cringeworthy and embarrassing.

 

[Abstraction1]

I honestly doubt Shoaib even watches cricket. He's a shrewd guy and knows what makes his audience (largely Indian) tick.

Fairplay to him, he says the right things and keeps people talking.

 

[TheSultan]

Shoaib Akther is one of life’s irritating people who sucks up to others, particularly those living in foreign lands, in the hope that they give him some validation in return. I once listened to a radio channel where Shoaib spoke to Freddy Flintoff and frankly, it was embarrassing how much Shoaib sucked up to Freddy. “Oh Freddy I need to thank you, because you are responsible for ever success in my career”. To which Freddy was like huh what?!?

Tbf he was trying to have a dig about how Freddie’s Tarzan / Jane comment fired him up and he destroyed England in the subsequent series. Don’t think he was actually sucking up to him.

But yes, it just didn’t come across very well - but that’s Asian cricketers for you. If you can’t express yourself properly in English dont try wit.

 

[TheSultan]

In all seriousness - shoaib overuses “the greatest” phrase a lot to the point it’s now meaningless when he says it.

He overuses all superlatives.

 

[Saj]

Of all time?

Not a chance. Quite a few better batters than him.

 

[moghul]

Just a desperate but ridiculous attempt by Shoaib to get some sort of contract in IPL, no chance .