Shoaib Akhtar: “We would have been the best of friends. But on the field, we would have been the best of enemies”

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Legendary Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he and India captain Virat Kohli “would have been the best of friends” and fierce rivals while playing against each other.

Akhtar admitted that he had a lot of respect for Kohli and also praised the 31-year-old for having “a lot of heart”.

“Virat Kohli and I would have been the best of friends. We both are Punjabi, we both have quite a similar nature,” Akhtar told ESPNcricinfo as quoted by the Hindustan Times. “He seems like he has a lot of heart, and even though, he’s a lot junior to me, I really respect him.

“We would have been the best of friends. But on the field, we would have been the best of enemies.”

Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, where he took 178 wickets at an average of 25.69.

He also featured in 163 ODIs and claimed 247 wickets at an average of 24.97.

As for his T20 International career, the 44-year-old picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 22.73.

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