Two former India-Pakistan cricketing rivals, Sourav Ganguly and Shoaib Akhtar renewed vows (verbally) after the latter affirmed that Virat Kohli should quit ODIs and T20Is after the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
The Asian giants are hosting the CWC after 12 years and Virat Kohli was a part of the World Cup winning team under MS Dhoni back then. This year under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, team India has a chance to end their ICC trophy drought which started way back in 2013.
Since then, India have thwarted chances after chances by either losing in the Final, semi-final or the Group stages itself. With a young, experienced but still unsettled squad it will be interesting to see how the Men in Blue play in CWC.
Among the key players will be Virat Kohli, his performance will be crucial and this time around he has an even more imperative role to play as compared to the 2011 edition. While his fitness and mentality might allow him to carry on playing every format, the Rawal-Pindi express, Shoaib Akhtar has mentioned that Kohli should quit the limited overs format after the WC.
“I don’t think he should play more 50-over matches after this World Cup. Also, if you see him in T20s, it takes a lot out of him. I think he should play for at least six more years and break the Sachin Tendulkar record of 100 centuries.” Akhtar said in recent interview.
But one his former Indian counterparts, Sourav Ganguly thinks that Kohli’s retirment from ODIs and T20Is is a baffling thought. Ganguly has had quite a bittersweet relationship with the Delhi-born batter during the former’s time as BCCI President.
But, by keeping all the things aside, Sourav Ganguly became the first one to come in Virat Kohli’s defense on whether he should just chase SachinTendulkar’s record or not. “Why? Virat Kohli should play whatever cricket he wants to play. Because he performs.” – Sourav Ganguly when asked about Shoaib Akhtar’s remarks.
