'Good Luck to Anyone Trying to Fill His Shoes': Ahmed Shehzad Hails Virat Kohli as 'Legend of This Generation'

Former Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad believes Virat Kohli’s legacy in T20I cricket is unmatched. The Indian batting icon wrapped up his last T20I assignment with a World Cup triumph on June 29. Kohli announced his retirement after helping India lift the second T20 World Cup. He contributed with a match-defining knock of 76 runs on the big day and was named the Player of the Match as well.

Following India’s historic win in Barbados, Shehzad hailed Kohli as “the legend of this generation.” According to the ex-Pakistan opener, no other cricketer including Babar Azam comes close to Kohli in terms of his records in T20Is. He believes Kohli deservingly won the T20 World Cup as it was “written in his destiny.”

Ahmed Shehzad expressed his admiration for the Indian batting icon during a media interaction in Abu Dhabi. He said, “Virat Kohli is a legend of our generation. Every time he stepped on the field, he played the game with the same enthusiasm. He is leaving a great legacy in the T20Is. Good luck to Indian Cricket trying to fill his massive shoes. No one should compare Babar Azam or any other cricketer to him,” as quoted by Sporskeeda.

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Shehzad thinks it’s Kohli’s on-field attitude that makes him a standout player. The 32-year-old also admitted that Kohli stepped up with an impactful knock in the T20 World Cup final where the other top-order batters failed to survive long.

“Even in his last T20I, Virat was celebrating at long-on and long-off whenever a wicket fell. He did not score runs in the entire T20 World Cup, but when things are written in your destiny, you will get them. He scored runs in the final when nobody else stood up with the bat. India would never have won the T20 World Cup final without Virat Kohli’s innings,” Shehzad explained.

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Virat Kohli has had a stellar career in T20Is. He has played 125 matches for India in the shortest format to register 4188 runs at a stunning batting average of 48.69. He has maintained a strike rate of 137.04 while registering 38 fifties and one century.