Shoaib Akhtar and Virat Kohli have similar kind of nature in the field. Both of them are aggressive players and like to dominate in the match. The former Pakistani cricketer has said that Virat would have been the best friend of him off-field, but simultaneously they would also be the best enemy when came to compete with each other.
Virat’s aggression in the field is very well known to everyone. His combativeness makes him the most successful batsman of the modern era. On the other hand, the speedster Akhtar also scared the batsman with his long run-up and bouncers. He also engaged in verbal fights with the batters.
Shoaib Akhtar counts the similarities between Virat Kohli and him:
Kohli and Akhtar follow the same religion while they also have a similar attitude when in the field. So, Akhtar claims that he could have been the best friend with the Indian captain. He further added that their nature also would have made them the best of the best enemies when in the middle. Akhtar also admits that he has huge respect for Kohli though he is a lot junior from him.
“Virat Kohli would have been best of my friends, because both of us are Punjabis and we have similar kind of nature, even though he is a lot junior to me, I really respect him,” Akhtar said on Espncricinfo Videocast with India cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar.
“We would have been best off the friends but on the field, we would have been the best of the best enemies,” Akhtar added.
The duo has not played much cricket against each other. Shoaib Akhtar retired from the cricket after the 2011 World Cup while after the mega event, Virat Kohli started rising as a prominent cricketer. He retired with 178 wickets in Tests, 247 in ODIs and 19 in the shortest format of the game.