'Why shouldn't I praise him?' - Shoaib Akhtar's bold reply when asked about praising India's star batter

Shoaib Akhtar (Source: Twitter)

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the greatest batters in the history of cricket. The run-machine and record-breaker had gone through his worst run of form over the last two-three years and has been the biggest talking point in the cricketing world. However, he ended his century drought in the Asia Cup last year and announced his comeback in style during the 20-20 World Cup, with a match-winning display against arch-rivals Pakistan.

In his lean patch, many critics said Virat Kohli is finished and should be dropped from the Indian team. But former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has always been very supportive of Kohli and has never been shy about appreciating his talent.

Speaking to Bol News, as quoted by the Hindustan Times, the 47-year-old revealed why he backs the ace batter: "You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. Log kehte hain tum Virat ki bohot tareef karte ho, main kehta hu kaise naa karu? (People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, why shouldn't I do that?) During one stage, India used to win because of Virat's hundreds."

'Sachin is the best batter. But as a captain, he seemed lost': Shoaib Akhtar

Akhtar, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in the history of the game, always believed that Virat is one of the greatest batters of this generation and his talent and dedication would see him through any rough patch. The fearless Pakistani pacer also drew comparisons between Virat and the great Sachin Tendulkar.

"See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batter in the world. But as a captain, he seemed lost. He left the captaincy himself. I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he lit up the 20-20 World Cup. It seemed that god had organised the tournament just for him to make a comeback," Akhtar said.

Kohli is currently part of the Indian team for the series against Australia. The 34-year-old did not make much of an impact in the first three Tests and will look to bounce back in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. India leads the series 2-1 but needs to win the final Test to march into the Test Championship final.