Shoaib Akhtar, the legendary Pakistani pacer, has given Virat Kohli some unconventional advice. The pacer has stated that Kohli should no longer play T20Is because they consume a lot of energy; instead, the former Indian captain should focus on ODIs and Tests to break the 100-century mark.
Virat recently smashed a Test century against Australia in the fourth Test, ending a more than three-year drought in the longest format. The 186-run innings helped India draw the fourth Test and retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2023.
Meanwhile, Akhtar, who has backed Kohli to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries, has given him some unusual advice. According to the Rawalpindi Express, the T20I format saps a lot of energy, and while Virat Kohli enjoys playing the shortest format, he should ‘save his body’ for Test and ODI cricket.
“As a cricketer, if you ask me, I feel he should stick with only Test and ODI formats. T20I unki energy bahot nikaal deta hai (T20I format drains a lot of his energy),” said Akhtar while speaking to Sports Tak.
He continued, “He is a very excited kind of character. He wants to be out there, he wants to look good. He wants to have a good time in T20Is. He likes it. But at times, he needs to save his body. How old is he right now? 34 right? Easily he can play for about 6 to 8 years. If he plays 30-50 more Test matches, I’m sure it won’t be difficult for him to score 25 centuries in those Test matches.”
