The Indian run machine Virat Kohli has got admirers all over the World and latest to join the list is former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar who has said that he respect Indian skipper and would have been friends if playing together.
Speaking in an ESPNCricinfo video podcast to Sanjay Manjrekar, Akhtar said “Virat Kohli and I would have been the best of friends. We both are Punjabi, we both have quite a similar nature.”
“He seems like he has a lot of heart, and even though, he’s a lot junior to me, I really respect him,” Akhtar further added.
He, though, admitted that Kohli and him would have been the fiercest rivals on the field.
“We would have been the best of friends. But on the field, we would have been the best of enemies,” he said.
Akhtar retired from cricket with 178 Test wickets in 46 matches, and 247 wickets in 163 ODIs. He also played 15 T20Is for Pakistan, in which he picked 19 wickets.