Virat Kohli's poor run of form has become the talk of the town as the former India skipper has not been among the runs in the ongoing series against England. Kapil Dev had earlier stated that if a No.2 ranked bowler like Ravichandran Ashwin can be dropped from Tests, then so can Virat be dropped from T20Is. Now, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has reacted to these comments, saying Kapil Dev can have his own opinion. However, he also showed his support towards Kohli, saying the batter should just focus on his batting.
"I am hearing a lot of criticism about Virat Kohli. It is being said that he should be dropped. Virat Kohli is finished, this is right. There is nothing more left in his career, this is also right and he would not be able to do anything more in his career, this is right, these type of things other people are saying to me. I told them, Virat Kohli is the greatest player, in the last 10 years, if there has been any greatest player, it is Virat. He has 1-2 bad years, he still has scored runs, just the century has not come," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
"You are just humiliating the guy in the media, to discredit him is not right, I do not know how can one talk about dropping him? Kapil Dev is my senior; I respect him and he has his own opinion. He is a legend; he can voice his opinion. A great cricketer can talk like that. Virat Kohli has 70 centuries and only a great player can score as many runs," he added.
Further talking about Virat, Akhtar said: "Virat should focus on his batting, if you do not perform, there is nothing wrong. All these things are happening, these are happening so that you become a bigger cricketer. You should not be scared; one should realise that they are up against a tough cricketer. It is important that you stay at the wicket, the more you stay in the middle, the better it will become for you. You should away from social media and not pay attention to the criticism."
Kohli's last international ton had come in 2019 and after that, the three-figure mark has eluded him. The batter had failed to get going in the Edgbaston Test and then the two T20Is against England.
Kohli will not be a part of India's squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against West Indies, beginning July 22. News agency PTI had reported that Kohli has been rested for the series.