'Shopkeepers won't take money from me' - Mohammad Rizwan on treatment he received after Pakistan's T20 WC win over India

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has mentioned how Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2021 victory over arch-rivals India made him a big star in his country and went on to change his fortunes forever. Recalling that treasured moment, Rizwan said that whenever he went to any shop in Pakistan, the shopkeepers would not charge even a single penny from him and treat him like a big celebrity.

The Men in Green beat India comfortably by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 fixture as skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan stitched an unbroken 152-run opening stand. By the virtue of this win, Pakistan ended their 29-year World Cup jinx against the arch-rivals.

When we won against India, that time, I thought it was only a match for me: Mohammad Rizwan

“When we won against India, that time, I thought it was only a match for me. It was because we won that game easily. But when I came to Pakistan, I realised how much it meant. Whenever I went to a shop, they won't take money from me. They would say, 'you go, you go. I won't take money from you!'” Rizwan told Mike Atherton while being interviewed for Sky Sports Cricket.

“People would say, 'everything is free for you here'. This is the love from all of Pakistan after that match," he added.

Pakistan had an excellent campaign as they cruised to the semis remaining undefeated throughout the Super 12 stages. Nonetheless, a heartbreaking defeat to the eventual champions Australia brought curtains down on their campaign.

As far as individual performances are concerned, the 30-year-old went on to bag the ICC T20I Player of the Year award and also remained the top-ranked T20I batter for a while before being dethroned by Suryakumar Yadav.

Rizwan was an integral member of the Pakistan squads that made the finals of this year’s Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, he has not made any impact with the bat in the ongoing home Test series against England and would be hoping to save his best for the last as the two teams meet in the third and final game of the series in Karachi from December 17.