Legendary Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar has lent his support to Virat Kohli as the former India captain's century drought continues.
Kohli developed into one of the best batters in the world after making his international debut back in 2008 and the 33-year-old has scored a whopping 70 hundreds for India across all formats, with only Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting making more.
However, he has not scored an international hundred since November 2019 and, after largely struggling in the recent IPL season, Kohli has endured a poor tour of England. His highest score against England was just 20 in the second innings of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston and his tour came to an end with another failure in the final ODI, with Reece Topley getting Kohli caught behind for 17.
Despite his recent struggles, many current and former cricketers have backed Kohli to get back to his best, including India captain Rohit Sharma and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. And Akhtar has labelled Kohli the "greatest player in the last ten years", insisting he can "come back stronger".
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akhtar said: "Virat Kohli is the greatest player in the last ten years. One-and-a-half years have not gone well for him – he has not scored a hundred but has still made runs – and people have totally gone against him and have been criticising him.
"As a Pakistani, the reason I am supporting him is that he has 70 hundreds. This isn't his aunt's house, and this isn't Candy Crush, where he could easily make 70 hundreds.
"Only a great player can make hundreds, a normal person cannot make so many tons. He has to emerge stronger out of this and make 30 more hundreds.
"He is still very young and very fit. He should not be scared, but recollect, focus and compose himself and come back stronger.
"People are writing you off, tweeting against you… Nothing could be worse, but the universe is making you ready to score 110 hundreds. Give them [your critics] a strong reply, show them who Virat Kohli is again."
