5 Pakistan batsmen who got compared to Virat Kohli when they were in their prime

Umar Akmal

A decade ago when Pakistan visited the New Zealand shores they found a solution for their batting frailties. A teenager crunched a century in his Test debut against the likes of Shane Bond and Chris Martin. Immediately Umar Akmal became the red dwarf of the cricketing universe. Some of his shots made it clear that he was in for a long haul.

His batting flair awed the fans and some of the pundits labeled him as the rising star of the game. Coincidentally Virat Kohli made his debut around the same time and as a result, the cricketing fraternity began drawing parallels between him and Akmal. As far as the batting grace is considered Umar is a step ahead of Kohli so it would have been a healthy battle if both sailed in the same ship.

Unfortunately, the Pakistan cricketer didn’t enjoy the same support from the selectors and occasional appearances followed in the Green jersey. Even his brother, Kamran Akmal has admitted that Umar would have been a consistent performer like Virat if regular opportunities were given to him. It has to be noted that the temperament separates both the stars. Several times Akmal has left the team high and dry by playing rash shots in crucial stages of the game.