Pakistan’s legendary fast-bowler Wasim Akram was a sight of terror for many batsmen in his era, however, the left-armer believes he would have been worried to bowl to Indian batting star Virat Kohli.
The 49-year-old was a force to be reckoned with during his heydays and bagged 916 wickets in both Tests and ODIs combined with his sheer pace and the ability to swing the ball both sides.
However, Wasim thinks Kohli’s self-belief and technique make him a difficult opponent to deal with.
When asked what makes Kohli so special, Wasim said: “[His] belief, his ability and on top of that his technique. We haven’t seen him play the reverse shot or the lap shot, he always plays proper cricketing shots with the full face of the bat. That’s why he has been very consistent and as a bowler if I had to bowl at him, I will be worried.
Former Pakistan captain then went on to compare Kohli to Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar: “It is like in ODI cricket when Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings, it was very difficult to bowl at him because Sachin as a batsman and Kohli as a batsman will hardly give you a chance to get them out.”
Kohli, 27, is having the time of his life in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). As the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore he has scored 919 runs at a strike rate of over 151 and an average of 83.54 courtesy four well-constructed tons.
“Kohli has scored 36 sixes in this IPL they are a lot of sixes,” added Wasim. “In my cricketing career, I have 50 plus sixes and those days sixes were rare. So, you can imagine he is powerful, he is strong and he can hit the ball miles outside the stadium.”
Earlier, Kohli mentioned Wasim as the bowler he would have feared if he ever played against him.
“The bowler I most fear, or I would have feared if I had played [against him] would be Wasim Akram; fast and skillful,” Kohli answered a quick-fire question during an interview.