Will bowl 150 kph to Virat Kohli and get him out, claims former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar
Former Pakistan pacer, Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he has the formula to dismiss India captain, Virat Kohli.
According to reports, in an Instagram Live video, Shoaib Akhtar said that he would target to make Virat Kohli drive and seemed to suggest that inducing an edge off his bat would be a way to get the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper out.
"If I was bowling, I would go wider of the crease and pitch the ball up [to Kohli] and shape it away from him in order to make him drive,” Shoaib Akhtar said.
One of India's greatest cricketers, the Indian captain has enjoyed batting against Pakistan, having scored 536 runs from 13 matches at an average of 48.73. Notably, his best ODI knock, a 148-ball 183 came against Pakistan in 2012.
Shoaib Akhtar played 158 ODI matches for Pakistan from 1998-2011 and finished with over 240 wickets. While the Pakistan speedster went through the defences of many legendary Indian cricketers such as Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar among others, he never faced off against Virat Kohli.
The former pacer also shed light on a Plan B, in case he fails to get Virat Kohli out while trying to get him to drive the ball.
"If that does not work, I will bowl him at 150 [kph] and he will get out,” he added.
While Virat Kohli has been enjoying a lengthy rest from cricketing action at home, Shoaib Akhtar has been in the news in recent times. Recently, the former speedster had suggested contesting a three-match ODI series between India and Australia to raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.
However, his idea was slammed by 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, who claimed that prioritising lives over a couple of matches is a lot more important.
A whole number of cricketing events, including IPL 2020 have been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus, forcing cricket aficionados to continue their long wait for the next piece of live action.