I would have feared Wasim Akram if I played against him: Virat Kohli

Batting star says Pakistani, Indian players share mutual respect and admiration


Sports Desk May 07, 2016
Kohli says Wasim was fast and skillful. PHOTOS: AFP

Indian batting star Virat Kohli recently revealed that he would have feared batting against Pakistan’s left-arm swing legend Wasim Akram if he played against him.

“The bowler I most fear, or I would have feared if I had played [against him] would be Wasim Akram; fast and skillful,” Kohli answered a quick-fire question, while giving an interview to CNN.

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Furthermore, during the interview, Kohli revealed that Pakistani and Indian players have a lot of mutual respect and admiration between them.

When asked if it makes a difference when he goes out to play against Pakistan, Kohli said: “Now, no. But initially that used to be a massive change in my mindset. When I came to play for the Indian team, in my head, I saw those games as a fan."

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He added: "I didn’t know what goes on in the changing room, how those players interact with each other, whether they talk or whether they don’t want to talk, whether they are aggressive on the field; I didn’t know anything.”

Responding to the question on what it is like in the dressing rooms of Pakistan and India, Kohli revealed: “It is absolutely normal. You see the India and Pakistan players talk to each other, you can just keep laughing."

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He further said: "Somewhere you feel that yes they understand what we are saying and we understand what they are saying. So, there is that mutual respect and there is mutual admiration between the two teams."

COMMENTS (20)

anuj | 8 years ago | Reply Its very sad to know that player like Wasim bhai has ever been involved in match-fixing and so on..but whatever be the matter really was Wasim bhai is still adorned and respected by us for his performances on the field and as a great human being with gentle nature.On the other hand Virat undoubtedly deserves to be a great finisher batsman having a fair amount of calculated aggression which shows how judicious he is plus the world-wide media-exposure, macho-dude etc.etc.During the last Indian tour to Australia I could recollect apart from sports- journalists,how the massala page-3 media personnel were hounding behind him.
Milind | 8 years ago | Reply @Ch. Allah Daad - You're right.. I remember how Wasim's name cropped up into this betting scandal, after Pakistan lost to Bangladesh tamely, after which Akram justified this loss saying "We lost to our brothers"... Nevertheless Wasim Akram has been a great and we across the border still love & admire him, this black spot on his record notwithstanding..
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