In a recent interview with TimesofIndia.com, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal expressed his wish for Indian cricketing legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to visit Pakistan before retiring from international cricket. Acknowledging their immense global popularity, Akmal emphasized the overwhelming support both players would receive in Pakistan, despite the absence of bilateral series between the two nations in recent years.
Akmal highlighted that while India and Pakistan have only clashed in multi-nation tournaments like the Asia Cup and ICC events since 2012-13, Virat and Rohit’s global stardom transcends political boundaries. He believes their visit would be a momentous occasion, creating unique feelings amongst Pakistani fans.
“Virat and Rohit should visit Pakistan before they retire,” Akmal stated. “These two are stars of world cricket, traveling across the globe to play the game. Every single fan loves them. They have a massive fan base due to their batting and match-winning performances.”
Akmal further emphasized Virat’s popularity in Pakistan, drawing attention to his earlier visit during his Under-19 days. He believes that Virat’s current popularity would be even greater, and he would receive an unprecedented level of support.
“Virat is a role model for many around the world, Rohit is the World Cup-winning captain, and Bumrah is currently the best pacer in the world. When players like Virat, Rohit and Bumrah visit Pakistan, it will evoke unique feelings in every fan. Virat has been to Pakistan during his under-19 days, but he wasn’t as popular then,” Akmal said. “If Virat visits Pakistan now, he will truly see his popularity here. He will receive a different kind of support in Pakistan. No cricketer is more popular than Virat in Pakistan; he has a bigger fan-following than any other cricketer in the world. Pakistani fans love Virat, Rohit and Bumrah more than any of their own cricket team players,” the former wicketkeeper added.
This call comes after both Virat and Rohit retired from T20Is earlier this year following India’s victory in the T20 World Cup. They are now gearing up for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting on September 19th in Chennai, followed by the second Test in Kanpur on September 27th.
