“In Pakistan, Virat Kohli will forget the love he received in India”: Shahid Afridi

Amid reports about India’s decision to refrain from traveling to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy, former captain Shahid Afridi feels Virat Kohli will forget the love and affection he received in India if he visits Pakistan. The veteran all-rounder stated that Kohli has a huge number of admirers and receives great adulation in Pakistan. Afridi also urged the Indian team to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, setting aside the difficult political relations between the two countries.

“I welcome the Indian team (to Pakistan) and they should come. We always receive a lot of respect and love on our tours of India. Similarly, the Indian team also received love and respect during their tour in 2005. Cricket as travel must be kept apart from politics. There is no greater politics than India and Pakistan playing against each other in their countries,” Afridi told News24 Sports’ YouTube channel.

“Virat will forget the love he received in India when he played for Pakistan. He has a huge craze in Pakistan and our people like him a lot. In fact, he is my favorite player. He has his own class and should not have retired from T20Is because because of him, T20I was beautiful,” he added.

When asked about the next big thing for Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli, Afridi said that Shubman Gill has the potential to replicate his success in international cricket.

Afridi further praised the Indian cricket structure, especially the Indian Premier League (IPL), for unearthing a plethora of domestic talent and creating a solid bench strength for the Men in Blue.

“IPL has created so much talent for India that they can form two teams,” he said.

Commenting on the inconsistency in cricket administration in Pakistan, Afridi said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman should be appointed for a longer period so that the captain has a decent tenure in the role.

“The president should get at least three years so that the Pakistan captain can remain in office for 2-3 years. With the change of president, other things should not be affected. If we work on the basis of merit, results will come. ( Sahi banda agar sahi kursi par baithe toh result khud aa jayenge) If the right person takes the right job, the result will come automatically,” he said.

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