'Legend already' - Shoaib Akhtar to fan asking him to describe Virat Kohli

Every seasoned cricketer and game expert will eventually come across a Virat Kohli question on social media, be it during a press conference, or in an interview, regardless of whether he is playing, resting, or even vaguely linked to the topic. Shoaib Akhtar, who has previously backed Kohli amidst his poor form, gave a terrific reply to a fan who asked him to describe Kohli in one word during his Q&A session.

The former Pakistani pacer, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in the history of cricket, took to social media and announced the release of his biopic “RAWALPINDI EXPRESS – Running against the odds” on Sunday, 24 July, and indulged in a Q&A session with the fans later. He called for fans to ask him questions using a hashtag saying that he would reply to them for the next half hour.

When one of the fans asked: “One word for Virat Kohli #Rawalpindiexpressthefilm”, Akhtar replied saying “Legend already.”

Akhtar had previously backed Virat Kohli and called him the greatest player

As part of his continuing century drought, which began in November 2019, Virat Kohli has recently had trouble with the bat. The three-figure milestone has escaped the former India captain in 79 innings across all formats ever since he hit a ton against Bangladesh in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in a pink-ball Test between the two teams.

Before being rested for the white-ball series against the West Indies, Kohli received harsh criticism for his dismal performance in England, where he scored just 12 runs in the T20I series and 33 runs in ODIs. But amid all the ongoing talks, many cricketers from around the world, and former players have come out in support of the 33-year-old, saying that he’d be back in form soon.

“People are saying that he should be dropped. Virat Kohli is finished. There is nothing more left in his career and he would not be able to do anything more in his career. To them, I say Virat Kohli is the greatest player. In the last 10 years, if there has been any greatest player, it is Virat. He has 1-2 bad years, he still has scored runs, just the century has not come,” Akhtar had said on his YouTube channel.

“As a Pakistani, I’m supporting Virat Kohli because he has 70 centuries. It’s not Candy Crush. Only a great player can score these many centuries, something a normal player can’t do. When Kohli comes out of this phase, it will be a different Virat Kohli,” the pacer had added.