“I think it was all destined for him on that day at the MCG”: Shohaib Akhtar hails Virat Kohli

Star cricketer Virat Kohli celebrated his 15th anniversary in cricket on Friday, August 18 2023. The skilled player made his debut in the arena back in 2008 against Sri Lanka in the One Day International (ODI) held in Dambulla. At that time a young Kohli, 19 years old opened the innings alongside Gautam Gambhir. In his debut match, he was dismissed after scoring just 12 runs off 22 balls by Nuwan Kulasekara.

On the occasion of Kohli’s milestone of completing 15 years in cricket former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar fondly reminisced about Kohlis outstanding innings of an unbeaten 82 runs from just 53 balls against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup in 2022. Shoaib Akhtar, a figure in Pakistans cricketing history expressed that the match seemed to revolve around Kohli and suggested that it felt as if fate itself favored him. This was especially significant as Kohli had been going through a phase, in his career during that period.

Shoaib Akhtar said

“That match was all about Virat Kohli. The cricket Gods wanted to do it for him. He wasn’t in the best of form, and was facing a lot of heat from you guys in India. The media was after him. It was as of God was telling him – this is your stage, come and become king again,” Akhtar said on the show ‘Backstage with Boria’ on RevSportz.

Expanding further on his innings, Akhtar emphasized that the two electrifying sixes that Virat Kohli hit against Haris Rauf in the 19th over of the match seemed to symbolize a return to his prime form and prowess, almost as if he was regaining his dominance in the cricketing realm.

“If you see all that transpired – rain and a lot of it, 100,000 people, 1.3 billion Indians watching, 30 crore Pakistanis watching, the whole world in awe – the stage was set for Kohli. It was the greatest stage of all. When you add the two sixes that he hit off Haris Rauf, that match gave him back his kingdom. I think it was all destined for him on that day at the MCG,” he added.

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