Akhtar congratulated Kohli after his unbeaten 82 against Pakistan on Sunday T20 World Cup The match helped India secure a thrilling four-wicket victory on a packed Melbourne cricket ground.
“In my opinion, he played the greatest rounds of his life against Pakistan. He played like that because he had the belief that he would.
It’s not the end of the road | We will meet again | PAKvIND | Shoaïb Akhtar | SP1N
“He’s back with a bang. I want him to retire from T20I because I don’t want him to put all his energy into T20I cricket. With a similar commitment like today, he can score three centuries in ODI,” Akhtar said on his Youtube channel.
Kohli single-handedly propelled India to victory after watching the barrel one step away from the tournament’s most anticipated game.
Akhtar recalled the criticism Kohli received during his long, skinny run with the bat.
“He was out for 3 years, he didn’t score points, he was stripped of his captaincy and a lot of people said a lot of things to him.
“People even dragged his family into it but he kept training and piggybacking and just a day before Diwali he played a firecracker in an innings. He decided that this place and this stage were perfect for his comeback.
“The king is back and he’s back strong and I’m really happy for him. He’s a great cricketer,” added the Pakistani point guard.
