Would have loved to bowl to Virat Kohli, quips Wasim Akram
What's the story?
Legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram has heaped praise on Indian captain Virat Kohli's dynamic style of batting. Hailing the 29-year old's aggressive approach at the crease, the iconic pacer also explained why their dream face-off would have made for some riveting cricket. The 51-year old also chose the exalted Sunil Gavaskar as the most prized scalp of his memorable career.
"I would definitely have loved to bowl to Virat Kohli because it would be so much fun. Kohli is very aggressive and if somebody is aggressive, I always think I have a chance to get him. If you bowl at a solid player like Rahul Dravid, you might not get a chance. Kohli might hammer you but you could still have a chance to get his wicket. Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t that aggressive, especially in Test cricket; he picked his bowlers and picked his situations. Kohli with 32 one-day hundreds is definitely the player of the new era. India has a gem in Kohli", Akram told Gulf News.
When asked to reveal the favourite scalp of his stellar career, he quipped, "My prize wicket will remain Sunil Gavaskar, one of the greatest openers. If anyone is keen to learn proper batting technique, then one should watch Gavaskar who batted without helmet and always right on top (of the ball)."
In the past...
Wasim and Gavaskar locked horns against each other in 11 ODIs and four Tests between 1985 and 1987. The 'Sultan of Swing' got the wicket of the batting maestro on two of those occasions.
The heart of the matter
During the Sharjah International Book Fair, Akram also shed light into some of lesser-known tales of his stellar journey in cricket. The left-armer divulged that he was ushered into the Pakistani team when a selector saw him trouble the revered Javed Miandad during a nets session of a coaching camp.
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After making his first-class debut in a warm-up match against the visiting Kiwis in 1984, Akram was fast-tracked into the Pakistan squad for their tour of New Zealand in the subsequent year. Interestingly, he went on to enter the Test arena in Auckland under the captaincy of Miandad himself.
Parallels from history
This is not the first instance of Akram exuding high praise on Kohli's batting. Earlier this year, he had joined a few of his former Pakistani team mates in hailing the Indian batsman's incredible work-ethic and uncompromising attitude towards fitness.
Author's take
Considering his unmatched skills with the ball and the Indian star's attacking instinct, it would have been a dream scenario to see the illustrious Pakistani pacer bowl to Kohli.
Discerning from the manner in which the acclaimed opener kept numerous world-class fast bowlers at bay with his robust technique, it is not surprising that Akram picked Gavaskar as his most prized scalp.