'Wouldn't have married': Shoaib Akhtar reveals how Virat Kohli's marriage with Anushka affected his game

Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar, renowned for not mincing his words came up with yet another sensational claim. The 'Rawalpindi Express' said that if he were in the place of Virat Kohli, he wouldn't have gotten married to Anushka Sharma because marriage adds a lot more responsibility to a player's life. 

The Pakistani legend further added he was never in favour of giving the captaincy to Virat Kohli, he simply wanted the Delhi-born batsman to focus on his batting and keep scoring for Team India. The added responsibilities of captaincy tend to take a toll on a player's performance in Shoaib Akhtar's opinion. 

Speaking to Dainik Jagran Akhtar stated, "Virat captained for 6-7 years and I was never in favour of his captaincy, I just wanted him to keep scoring 100-120 runs and keep the focus on his batting."

He further continued, "I would have not even married if I were in his place. I had just scored runs and enjoyed cricket, these 10-12 years of cricket are different time and doesn't come again, I am not saying getting married is wrong but If you are playing for India, you would have enjoyed a time a little. Fans are crazy about Kohli and he had to maintain that love he is getting for the last 20 years."

When quizzed how the added pressure of marriage affects a player's marriage, Shoaib Akhtar revealed that the added responsibility of wife and children tends to impact a player's mindset. 

"Absolutely it does [the pressure of marriage, captaincy affect cricket]. There is pressure from the children, of the family. As the responsibility increases, so does the pressure. Cricketers have a short career span of 14-15 years in which you stay at the peak for five-six years. Those years of Virat have passed, now he has to struggle," the 46-year-old added. 

Virat Kohli has struggled with the bat for the past two years, having not scored an international century since 2019. The 33-year-old recently gave up the captaincy in Test cricket and had also stepped down as skipper of the T20I team last year. 

The right-hander had gotten married to Anushka Sharma in December 2017, while the couple were blessed with a baby girl 'Vamika' in January 2020.