"If he plays 50 Tests he can easily hit 25 hundreds"- Shoaib Akhtar gives a smart advice to Virat Kohli
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar feels Virat Kohli has what it takes to go past Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 international hundreds, but only if he is smart enough to pick and choose the formats he wants to play going forward.
The 34-year-old already has 75 international hundreds to his name, and Akhtar feels it would be wise for the former Indian captain to bid adieu to the T20I format to focus on ODIs and Tests.
Shoaib Akhtar believes Virat Kohli can still play 50 Tests from here and create his own legacy by breaking multiple records. Here's what he had to say to Sports Tak:
"As a cricketer, I would advise Kohli to stop playing T20I and just focus on ODIs and Tests. He is an exciting player in the middle and I think, T20Is take a lot of energy and he needs to save it now. If he does so, he’s just 34 and can easily play 6-8 years from now. Even if, from now on, he plays 50 Tests he can easily hit 25 hundreds."
Shoaib Akhtar on Virat Kohli's current mindset
Shoaib Akhtar is delighted that Virat Kohli is currently in great headspace and his runs across formats for India since the Asia Cup last year have proved that the break before that did him a world of good.
Breaking records will definitely test Kohli's mental toughness, but Akhtar recalled the star batter's heroics against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup to prove how mentally strong he is.
On this, the former cricketer stated:
"Kohli should continue playing and should stop hearing the criticism he faces quite often. He is someone who likes to run the show and has great self-belief. It was that self-belief that helped him play those ridiculous shots at the MCG. Those shots are not possible in general but fortune favors the brave and helps those who show the desperation for winning."
Virat Kohli has had a quiet ODI series against Australia so far, and will be hopeful of scoring a big hundred in the series decider in Chennai on Wednesday.