Shehzad makes explosive declarations; 'Kohli found Dhoni but unfortunately in Pakistan...'

A key distinction between Indian and Pakistan cricket, according to Pakistani batter Ahmed Shehzad, is that in his country, senior players and past cricketers find it difficult to see someone succeed. Shehzad cited the example of Indian superstar Virat Kohli, who he said was helped early in his playing career by MS Dhoni. Shehzad then went on to compare his career with that of Kohli, claiming that he was kicked out of the team after only two poor games while Kohli is still receiving chances despite struggling for the past two years.

Shehzad claimed that jealousy is a common factor among senior cricketers and former players in Pakistan, blaming them for his ouster from the national squad. Shehzad claimed that after struggling in two games, he was asked to do well in the Faisalabad tournament in order to return to the Pakistan team, but even though he finished as the tournament's top run-scorer, he was denied a second chance.

Shehzad was specifically referring to a report from former Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis, who had suggested that he and Umar Akmal return to domestic cricket and succeed there in order to get back to the national team. 

"I have said this before and I will say it again, Kohli’s career picked off amazingly because he found MS Dhoni but unfortunately, here in Pakistan, your own people cannot stand your success. Our own senior players and ex-cricketers cannot digest seeing someone succeed in the cricketing world, which is unfortunate for Pakistan cricket," Shehzad was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. 

“Kohli’s been struggling for form for the past two years, I was cast aside after two matches. I was told to perform in the Faisalabad tournament and I was the highest scorer there but still I was not handed another chance," he added. 

Shehzad's career

Shehzad made his international debut for Pakistan in 2009. He has played 13 Tests, 81 ODIs, and 59 T20Is for his country with his last international assignment coming against Sri Lanka in 2019. Shehzad has scored 982 runs in red-ball cricket, 2605 runs in the 50-over version, and 1471 runs in the shortest format of the game, which he amassed at averages of 40.91, 32.56, and 25.80, respectively. 

(Image: AP/PTI)