Wasim Akram mesmerized with Virat Kohli; calls him a "Complete Cricketer"

Legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram is full of praises for the Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who registered his 34th ODI century on Wednesday. The former Pakistan captain and 1992 World Cup winner went on to say that it’s a treat to watch him play and is definitely one of the best cricketers the limited-overs version has ever seen.

Kohli’s Indian team blanked the South African contingent in the ODI series with yet another stunning performance. They registered a massive 124-run victory banking on the skipper’s outstanding 160* and a couple of excellent bowling renditions from Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Shikhar Dhawan chipped in with a crucial 76 off 63 balls as well.

Speaking to India Today, Akram emphasized on how important the fitness factor is at a certain age for batters. He rated Kohli as a complete cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, which indeed is a huge compliment.

“Obviously fitness matters and at a certain age batsmen get the knack, batsmen get an idea how to get runs and I think he got the idea about 2-3 years ago how to get runs, what sort of shots to play and reading the situation,” Akram said. “He is very good at these things and have you seen his record while chasing!. He is averaging 90 in one day cricket and now he gets 160 (not out) in the first innings too (batting first vs South Africa in the 3rd ODI),” he added.

“Kohli is a treat to watch. At times when you do think or imagine if I was young and playing against Virat Kohli where would I bowl and I do feel it would be a bit difficult to bowl at him. It doesn’t matter what sort of pitch it is because he is a complete player. I think in world cricket after Sachin Tendulkar, it’s his turn now,” the 51-year-old quoted.

He is a role model all over the world

India’s most challenging tour in recent years began on a precarious note, losing two close games in the Test series. They eventually bounced back and won the final Test in Johannesburg and the rest, as they say, is history. They’ve been in a counter-attacking mood of late and not many times the Proteas have suffered such horrendous fate in their own backyard.

Akram said it’s heartening to see the way Team India is performing currently especially after those two losses in the Test series. “Especially after the way they lost the first two Test matches and then the way they won the third Test match on a shifty, dodgy kind of pitch and then winning the (first three) ODIs so convincingly. It’s really heartening to see the way they are performing,” the legend added.

“It depends on a leader, he is leading from the front, he is a supreme athlete, he is getting runs every game. First innings, second innings, Test match, ODIs, T20Is…I think Kohli is not only a role model for India, he is a role model all over the world,” he said.