Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni
Amid growing calls for a change in captaincy after India's defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, veteran Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman has backed Virat Kohli, saying that India's trophy is not the Indian captain's fault.
India last month suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the Hampshire Bowl as New Zealand clinched the World Test Championship (WTC) title. While the Kiwis shrugged off memories of their 2019 World Cup final heartbreak against England, Kohli's men stretched their eight-year dry spell of winning ICC silverware.
Akmal rated Kohli as India's best captain after MS Dhoni and said that India's defeats in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and the 2019 World Cup semi-final is not his fault.
"Virat Kohli is the best captain after MS Dhoni. He has 70 (international) centuries. He played the Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup. Sure enough, India lost but what is his fault in it? India have remained the No. 1 Test for five years.
"Look at his achievements, his service, his captaincy is terrific. There is no doubt about it. He is an amazing player and the way he has prepared himself is phenomenal," Akmal said in a video chat on Youtube.
While many fans and experts have called for split captaincy, Akmal feels it's a "matter of luck" when it comes to winning ICC tournaments. Kohli may have not scored an international ton for quite a while now, but he averages over 50 in all three formats of the game with 70 centuries, just one shy of ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting in the list of most hundreds.
"He is an amazing player, an amazing captain, and no one can guarantee that if India changes the captain, they will win ICC tournaments. It is a matter of luck. It is easy to point fingers, especially those who have no idea about cricket. People who have not even led a gully team are now giving Kohli and India advice to change their captain.
"I don't think he would be affected by any of such things. He is mentally strong, a big performer. No one comes close to him. To score so many centuries and average over 50 in all three formats," Akmal further said.
