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Shoaib Akhtar equates Virat Kohli's on field intensity with Imran Khan, urges Pakistan players to play like India

Former Australia cricketer and star pacer Shoaib Akhtar lauded Virat Kohli for brilliantly leading his side across formats and urged the Pakistani players to follow the Indian captain's work ethics and his zeal to get better every passing d

Shoaib Akhtar compares Virat Kohlis intensity on the field with Imran Khan, urges Pakistan players to follow Kohli

New Delhi, Dec 23: Former Australia cricketer and star pacer Shoaib Akhtar lauded Virat Kohli for brilliantly leading his side across formats and urged the Pakistani players to follow the Indian captain's work ethics and his zeal to get better every passing day.

In a video posted on his Youtube channel, the former speedster said he lamented the current players in the Pakistan side lack the aggression and compared them with Kohli.

"I have seen the Indian cricket team evolve over the years. Pakistan had an attitude of playing aggressive cricket, we did not use to be timid. We used to be aggressive and be up for the fight. Let's compare our skipper to India's skipper," Akhtar said.

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"Both Misbah and Azhar should come up with ways to make Pakistan's team better. The roadmap should be to get better than Virat Kohli's side," he stated further.

Talking about the difference between Indian and Pakistani captains, the 44-year-old said Kohli leads his team by example and inspires his teammates to continue raising their bar. He also compared Kohli's attitude towards fitness with that of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who also focussed towards fitness.

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"Virat Kohli is a fitness freak and his team completely looks up to him. If the captain is agile and sets such standards, the side will obviously follow. I believe this thing used to be there on our side when Imran Khan was the captain. He came to the ground, did not listen to anyone, used to run ten laps around, take 20-25 sprints. He then bowled in the nets for three hours. It was compulsory for the rest of the players to come and do the same," Akhtar said.

"Imran Khan was not a tactical captain, but he knew how to gather match-winners. Now India is doing the same, see Kohli's attitude, he plays with a lot of intensity, the players follow the captain. India has strict rules to ensure players' conduct both on and off the field," he added.

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Akhtar further stated that the Pakistan criket team needs to play fearless cricket and there should be a feeling of equality amongst players.

"Pakistan needs to be fearless. In this team, you have to inculcate brotherhood, players need to look after their fitness. Pakistan is currently playing well against Sri Lanka. We need to replicate these performances," Akhtar said.

The Rawalpindi express opined further, "We need to play good and fearless cricket. Our players need to be aware of the situation of the game. Pakistan needs to promote talent, especially in batting. You should not worry about the age of a player."

Story first published: Monday, December 23, 2019, 20:29 [IST]
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