'Virat Should Play Whatever He Wants'- Sourav Ganguly's Sharp Response To Shoaib Akhtar's Unsolicited Advice
Virat Kohli has regained his old form in the last year
Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar recently suggested that Virat Kohli should consider stepping away from One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20s after the upcoming World Cup 2023.
Ganguly firmly backed Kohli's career choices against Akhtar's suggestions
Akhtar expressed his views during an interview with RevSportz, where he stated that by limiting his participation to Test cricket, Kohli could potentially have a longer career span and might even have a chance to break Sachin Tendulkar's enviable record of 100 international centuries.
He also pointed out that Kohli's involvement in T20 matches seems to drain his energy considerably, and he should refrain from playing white-ball cricket to extend his cricketing career by six years to surpass Tendulkar's record.
"I believe he should refrain from participating in further 50-overs matches following this World Cup. Additionally, observing his performance in T20s, it's evident that he expends a significant amount of energy. From my perspective, he should continue his cricket career for a minimum of six additional years with the aim of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 international centuries,” said Akhtar.
However, this unsolicited advice didn't go down well with everyone. Later that day, former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, offered a sharp response to Akhtar's comments.
The southpaw opined that Kohli's career choices should be left to him and emphasized that as long as the batter continues to perform, he should be free to play any format he desires. The Indian veteran further highlighted Kohli's autonomy and consistent track record, suggesting that unsolicited advice on his career was uncalled for.
"Why? Virat Kohli should play whatever cricket he wants to play. Because he performs,” responded Ganguly.
Kohli's Test achievements, while impressive, are overshadowed by his ODI brilliance. With 8676 Test runs and 29 centuries at an average of 49.29, he ranks fifth in the list of most runs for Indians in Tests behind legends like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and VVS Laxman.
In ODIs, he's also the fifth-highest scorer, trailing Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya. However, with a shortfall of 532 and 806 runs from Jayasuriya and Ponting, respectively, Kohli's current form suggests he could overtake them by World Cup 2023.
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