“Cricket gods wanted to do it for him”, Shoaib Akhtar remembers Virat Kohli’s magical knock agianst Pakistan on his 15-year anniversary.

Star batsman Virat Kohli commemorated his 15th anniversary in international cricket on Friday, August 18, 2023. Making his debut in 2008 against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Dambulla, the then 19-year-old shared the opening partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for 12 (22) by Nuwan Kulasekara

On the occasion of Kohli’s 15th anniversary, former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar reminisced about Kohli’s remarkable performance of 82* (53) against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup 2022. Akhtar emphasized that the match was dominated by Kohli and that it seemed the cricket gods were favoring him, especially since he was grappling with a challenging phase in his career.

Akhtar said “That match was all about Virat Kohli. The cricket Gods wanted to do it for him. He wasn’t in the best of form, and was facing a lot of heat from you guys in India. The media was after him. It was as of God was telling him – this is your stage, come and become king again.”

Akhtar further elaborated that Kohli’s pivotal innings included two stunning sixes against Haris Rauf in the 19th over, which marked a turning point for him.

Saying “If you see all that transpired – rain and a lot of it, 100,000 people, 1.3 billion Indians watching, 30 crore Pakistanis watching, the whole world in awe – the stage was set for Kohli. It was the greatest stage of all. When you add the two sixes that he hit off Haris Rauf, that match gave him back his kingdom. I think it was all destined for him on that day at the MCG.”