Another name for bravery, says Rohit Sharma as he welcomes Abhinandan Varthaman

Team India opener Rohit Sharma welcomed back India’s hero Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot returned to the Indian soil from Pakistan on Friday evening after spending two days in captivity. India and Pakistan were involved in an air battle two days ago in the wake of the Pulwama attack. During that very attack, Abhinandan had heroically shot down Pakistan’s F-16 with his MiG-21 Bison but unfortunately fell in Pakistan after his plane malfunctioned.

Videos then showed how cruelly he was being treated by Pakistanis. However, showing remarkable composure, the soldier kept his cool before some officials of Pakistani army saved him from the mob and took him into custody. A video from Pakistan then showed Abhinandan receiving good treatment before Pakistan Prime Minister announced the pilot would be returned to India as a peace gesture.

Ever since the announcement was made, the whole of India was desperately waiting to welcome the brave-heart in the nation.  The Wagah-Attari border was full of people on Friday to welcome the country’s hero from Pakistan. The much-awaited moment finally came around 9 pm when Abhinandan was handed over to India from Pakistan through the Wagah border. And since then, the whole country has left no stone unturned in making Abhinandan feel welcome at home.

Rohit Sharma welcomes Abhinandan:

The cricketers also came out in large numbers, taking to Twitter to laud Abhinandan and welcome him home. The likes of Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble and several other players welcomed back the hero.

Rohit also took to Twitter to welcome Abhinandan and leave a special message for the soldier. The India star called Abhinandan ‘another name for bravery’, writing: “Welcome to our motherland #WingCommanderAbhinandan Another name for bravery”

Here is Rohit’s tweet

Rohit, meanwhile, is currently gearing up for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia, starting on March 2 in Hyderabad.

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