After the reports suggesting India’s decision to refrain from travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi feels that Virat Kohli will forget the hospitality from India if he visits Pakistan.
Shahid Afridi Pushes India to Travel to Pakistan
The all-rounder has asserted that Kohli has a huge fan base and gets massive adulation in Pakistan. With the reports spreading on team India avoiding to travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy, Afridi has urged the Indian team to cross the border to play in the ICC tournament in 2025.
“I welcome the Indian team (in Pakistan) and they should come. We’ve always received huge respect and love in our tours of India. In the same way, the Indian team also received love and respect during their tour in 2005. Cricket tours should be kept aside from politics. There is no big politics than India and Pakistan playing against each other in their countries,” told Afridi.
“Virat will forget the love he has received in India when he would play in Pakistan. He has a huge craze in Pakistan and our people like him very much. In fact, he is my favorite player. He has his own class and he shouldn’t have retired from T20Is as because of him T20I looked beautiful,” he added.
While asked about the cricketer who can surpass Indian cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Afridi said Shubman Gill has the potential to hunt down their success in international cricket.
He also applauded the cricket structure notably in the Indian Premier League, for finding numerous domestic talents and creating a bench strength for the Indian cricket team.
Meanwhile, he also spoke about the inconsistency in the Pakistan Cricket administration, Afridi said the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman should be appointed for a longer duration so that the captain gets the required time in the role.
“Chairman should at least get three years so that Pakistan captain can remain for 2-3 years at his post. With the change of chairman, other things should not be affected. If we work on the basis of merit, the results will come. (Sahi banda agar sahi kursi par baithe toh result khud aa jayenge) If the right person takes the right job, then the result will come automatically,” he said.
Recently he made his question on the Board on backing Babar Azam on Captaincy despite his struggle to make significant changes in the results of the ODI and T20 World Cups.
“They should decide on the captain or the coach and then give them time. As far as Babar is concerned. I have captained, Younis (Khan), and Misbah have captained a lot. A captain never got so many chances,” said Shahid Afridi.
He also continued that Virat Kohli should have continued to play in the T20I format for India. After India won the T20I World Cup 2024, Virat Kohli announced his T20I retirement as he finished as India’s second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup.
“He shouldn’t have quit T20Is because the format looked beautiful with him in it. Why can’t he play? He is fit; he is in form. More than anything else, with him around the new guys would have found a lot more success. You cannot bring all youngsters together; you need a combination of seniors and juniors. What Virat can teach them, I don’t think anyone else can,” concluded Afridi.
Following him Rohit Sharma also announced his T20I retirement after he completed as India’s highest run-getter in the tournament.
