‘Stupid logic’ – Fans slam Shoaib Akhtar’s ‘Virat Kohli shouldn’t have married’ remarks
Akhtar stated he wouldn’t have married to focus on his career, had he been in Kohli’s place.
Fans have come out hard at former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar for his remarks on Virat Kohli. Speaking on Kohli’s dip in form, Akhtar stated that there’s massive pressure on the Indian batter. The 46-year-old also equipped that he wouldn’t have married to focus on his career, had he been in Kohli’s place. Netizens aren’t amused with Akhtar’s thoughts as the former cricketer faced a lot of backlash on social media.
For the unversed, Kohli hasn’t been at his prime since the last couple of years. In fact, his last international century was recorded back in November 2019. Last year, the right-handed batter stepped down as T20I captain citing workload. He was later sacked from the role in ODIs as well. The most shocking part was Kohli even gave up Test captaincy following India’s 2-1 defeat against South Africa recently.
Many fans and experts have shared their contrasting opinions on Kohli’s dip in form. However, Akhtar, who’s known from his outlandish and controversial statements, gave the saga a different angle. The veteran said had he been an Indian fast bowler, he would have put his entire focus on cricket and would have married only after retirement.
Had I been in Virat Kohli’s place, I wouldn’t have married: Shoaib Akhtar
“If I was in India and was a fast-bowler, I would not have married. I would have focused on my cricket, this is my thinking. It was Kohli’s personal decision. If you asked me, I would have focused on my cricket,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by NDTV. Twitter users found Akhtar’s remarks ‘sexist’ and the veteran faced massive criticism for the same.
For the unversed, Kohli tied knots with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in December 2017. In January 2021, the power couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, and named her Vamika. The batter had taken a paternity leave from India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia to attend his child’s birth.
Meanwhile, many cricketers have talked about the importance of giving time to family alongside their cricket career. South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, at 29, announced his Test retirement last month in order to spend more time with his young family. Many do reckon that Kohli might be in a similar space. However, Akhtar’s thoughts weren’t entertained by many.
Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Shoaib Akhtar’s remarks:
Download Our App