Rawalpindi Express aka Shoaib Akhtar has made a big statement about Virat Kohli’s future as a cricketer. Kohli got his 50th international century against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on November 20. His 104-knock helped India to take a strong lead of 230 runs on the final day of the game. And after watching Kohli’s magnificent inning, Shoaib thinks that the Indian skipper has the potential to play until he is 44 and break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries.
In an interview with a Pakistani daily, Khaleej Times, Shoaib termed Kohli “a modern-day great”. He said,
When it comes to run chases, no one understands pacing an innings better than him (Kohli). Yes he has 50 international centuries now. I think he is the only player who can break Tendulkar’s record. But there is no pressure on him. He should just go out there and enjoy the game. He should just look after himself.
He went to state that he can definitely play until he is 44. He said,
If Misbah-ul-Haq can play until 43, I am sure Virat can play until he is 44. If he goes that long then I’m sure he’ll be the only one to do so. In fact, he can hit 120 centuries.
Akhtar wished to have played a lot more cricket against him. He said,
It would have been great if I had played against him a bit more. Unfortunately, he was too young towards the end of my career. He only faced one ball from me in Sri Lanka.
At the same time, Shoaib Akhtar also thinks that comparing Kohli with Sachin is not justified as Sachin was an overall exceptional player and Kohli is the doing an excellent job in the present era.
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