Virat Kohli gets more focussed if you fight: Shoaib Akhtar

Virat Kohli loves challenges and it’s now an established fact that instigating Kohli can cost big for the opponents. Sledging Kohli is not on the to-do-list of teams when they take on India. The Indian captain’s ability to thrive under pressure and get into a possessed zone often keeps teams away from launching verbal attacks on him. 

However, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar views things slightly differently in this regard. Akhtar, who loved getting under the skin of the batsmen before figuring out ways to get them, says that he would have instigated the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper had they played against each other.

“With Virat if you fight, he gets more focused. So, to bowl him out, I would try to get him to lose focus. I would try to get into his head. At my extreme pace, I would have instigated him to pull me or play a cut because he doesn't have these two shots,” Shoaib Akhtar told Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo videocast.

"I know he loves to drive, so again at my extreme pace, I would get him to drive and would have kept talking to him in between. Something like what (James)Anderson did to him in England," added the 44-year-old.

Akhtar felt that the quality of cricket has gone down of late and the competition between the bat and ball is not even these days. The Rawalpindi express said that Virat Kohli would have enjoyed playing against challenging bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

"I wish Virat Kohli had played against the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shane Warne. Even Virat would have enjoyed himself," Akhtar said.