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‘He should stick with only Test and ODI’ – Shoaib Akhtar believes Virat Kohli should quit T20I cricket to complete 100 centuries

Virat Kohli should focus on ODIs and Tests to break the 100-century mark: Shoaib Akhtar

Virat Kohli-Shoaib Akhtar
Virat Kohli-Shoaib Akhtar (source: Twitter)

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.”

It’s great that he is in a good frame of mind: Shoaib Akhtar

While Virat had gone nearly three years without scoring a century across all three formats, runs have continued to flow from his bat since the Asia Cup last year. Since taking a break from cricket, he has scored some memorable knocks and has returned in red-hot form. However, Akhtar went on to say that breaking Sachin‘s record will be difficult, and it will earn Virat Kohli a lot of praise from Indian fans.

“However, it will still be a daunting task for him in terms of fitness and mental health. Luckily, he is a strong guy, he is a Punjabi guy. It’s great that he is in a good frame of mind. He is concentrating and having a good time with his cricket. So he should remain focused and cross the 100-century barrier,” Akhtar said.

“And India will reserve high praise for him. And all these trash talks about Babar Azam and Virat Kohli – these are great players. Who is bigger than Kohli or Babar in Asia? No one. So all these loose talks are done just to grab attention,” he added.

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