Virat Kohli’s on-field antics have been under the scanner in the ongoing Test series against Australia with several former players criticising the India skipper for his aggressive behaviour.
The 29-year-old was in the thick of things in the second Test at Perth and his confrontation with his Aussie counterpart Tim Paine divided opinions in the cricketing world.
Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson went as far as to call Kohli ‘disrespectful’ and ‘silly’ for his antics on the field.
The India batsman has now received support from Pakistan fast bowling great Shoaib Akhtar who has termed Kohli as one of the modern-day greats.
The former Pakistan international took to Twitter to come to the aid of Kohli, asking critics to ‘cut him some slack’.
@imVkohli is one of the modern greats of the game. Aggression has been a part & parcel of competitive cricket, specially when you are playing Down Under as long as it stays in limit. Please cut him some slack.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) December 20, 2018
“Virat Kohli is one of the modern greats of the game. Aggression has been a part and parcel of competitive cricket, especially when you are playing Down Under as long as it stays in limit. Please cut him some slack,” Akhtar wrote on Twitter.
Akhtar is not the only former player to have come out in Kohli’s defence with Allan Border too recently lending his support. The former Australia skipper had reasoned that the modern game needs passionate characters like Kohli.
“It’s really over the top but it’s good in a way. You can see some passion about what he’s (Kohli) trying to do. There are not many characters in our game at the moment,” Border had told Fox Sports.
“The professional era has sort of beaten that out to a certain degree. It’s good to see guys with that passion, drive and a bit of character.”
Kohli and his Indian team were handed a 146-run defeat at Perth as Australia levelled the four-match series at 1-1. The two teams will now meet in the third Test at Melbourne on Boxing Day.
