Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma meets Pakistani fans, fulfills requests for hugs and handshakes

Even though the India-Pakistan is a fierce rivalry on the field, the bond between the players is an example of why the sport is called a gentleman’s game. Amidst political tension, the two teams do not play bilateral series anymore, but whenever they meet in any tournament, the camaraderie is always appreciated among the supporters. 

The game has always been about putting a smile on everyone’s face, and the Indian captain Rohit Sharma recently did exactly that as he met warmly with a group of Pakistani fans who were present during India’s training at the ICC Academy in Dubai. The 35-year-old also fulfilled their wishes for handshakes and hugs, and even though there was a security barrier in the middle, Rohit went ahead to meet the supporters.

With Pakistani fans asking for a hug, @ImRo45 stepped out of the ground and went and greeted them ! #INDvsPAK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/xAWYDgg3Iz

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) August 26, 2022

Shaheen Afridi prays for Virat Kohli’s return of form

The respect and admiration of players amongst each other is the talking point of this year’s Asia Cup. Despite being ruled out of the tournament, Shaheen Shah Afridi stayed back with the squad. He recently met Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal and Rishabh Pant during their training in Dubai. 

While talking to the former India captain, Shaheen said that he is praying for Kohli to come back in form. Notably, it has been almost three years since Kohli’s last international century, and thus he has been under the scanner for quite some time now.

“Aapke liye dua kar rahe hai aap wapis form me aaye (We are praying that your form comes back),” said Shaheen at the end of the conversation. Kohli also enquired about the pacer’s injury and both the men shook hands after the conversation to go their separate ways. 

India will take on Pakistan on August 28 to begin their Asia Cup campaign. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, it would be interesting to see if the Men in Blue return back to winning ways.