The legend of Virat Kohli has continued to grow as he’s been plundering big runs in the last phase of his career.
The 34-year-old India superstar batsman came out of a slump from later 2020 to mid-2022, and since his 71st century, in which he broke the streak of a barren run of 1020 days, Kohli has been back to his best in all formats.
He will now enter his 4th and what is most likely to be his last ODI World Cup in the World Cup 2023, aiming to win another title. While Virat Kohli won the 2011 World Cup, he was an upcoming rising star then; now, he’s a fully grown man who has conquered the world and is looking for one final victory lap with another ICC trophy in his pocket.
Such has been his towering record-charing spree over the past 15 years, that he’s got a massive fanbase even across the border, in Pakistan, which also includes the former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
Shoaib Akhtar’s response to a fan’s question of describing Virat Kohli in one word wins hearts
Shoaib Akhtar is someone who’s often lavished rich praises for Virat Kohli, for his elite batting and sheer class, and more so for his ability to score runs under big pressure when his teammates fail, such as last year’s T20 WC match between India and Pakistan in Melbourne.
Last year, when Kohli was still going through his lean patch, a fan asked Akhtar to describe Kohli in one word. The former Pakistani fast bowler gave an epic reply that won the hearts of both countries.
Akhtar replied: “Legend already”
This reply from Akhtar went viral in quick time with fans from both nations appreciating him for his honesty.
Kohli had continued his supreme touch against Pakistan and cracked a terrific century in the Asia Cup. India and Pakistan will meet again in the upcoming World Cup 2023, on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
India’s 15-man World Cup 2023 squad:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
