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Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar is widely known for his hard-hitting opinions on various topics. He is a frank customer and often speaks with a bold attitude.
Akhtar is quite famous for praising the Indian cricketers and it’s the reason why he receives a lot of criticism in Pakistan.
But what does Akhtar think of the disapproval that he gets for lauding Indian players? Well, the 45-year-old dropped his thoughts on the topic while chatting with anchor Yousaf Anjum on the YouTube channel – Cricket Pakistan.
Akhtar asked why he should not praise Indian cricketers, especially Virat Kohli. He said that none of the Pakistani or any batsman in the world comes close to the Indian captain in terms of delivering their best performance.
“Why should I not praise Indian players and Virat Kohli? Is there any player in Pakistan, or all over the world, which comes close to Kohli? I don’t know why people are angry; they should go look at the stats first before criticising me. Kohli and Rohit are performing so why should I not hail them? There was a time when Indians wanted to be like Pakistan players, but now it’s the other way around,” said Akhtar.
Recently, the Pakistan cricket team completed their 2-month long tour in England. They lost the Test series but were able to level the T20I leg. Akhtar expressed his disappointment over the Pakistan team, particularly batsman Asad Shafiq.
“Asad Shafiq looks lost on the field and does not know what to do. Whenever he is out there, it looks like he is playing his first Test. Even after playing so many Tests, we have failed to make him a star,” Akhtar added.
Pressure should be imposed on Malik and Hafeez: Akhtar
The former Pakistan international also shared his views on the veteran duo in Pakistan T20I team – Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez.
“We have invested 18 years on the likes of Hafeez and Malik and utmost pressure should be put on them, ahead of the T20 World Cup. We should tell these guys that if you don’t perform, we will hold you responsible for the last 18 years,” Akhtar added further.
