Mohammad Amir speaks up on his friendship with Virat Kohli

Mohammad Amir has gone through a lot in his career at a very young age. There were many who wished for a life-ban on the cricketer after he was found guilty of match fixing. Similarly, there were a few who welcomed him back to the world of cricket after serving the ban with a smile. Indian skipper Virat Kohli falls in the second list and has been an admirer of the Pakistani speedster.

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The relationship between the two cricketers is of love and respect towards each other. Mohammad Amir is also known to be a fan of the Indian skipper. Though Mohammad Amir fell victim to a match-fixing scandal in the year of 2010, Virat Kohli has always appreciated his talent as a cricketer. In an interview with PakPassion.com Mohammad Amir speaks up about Virat Kohli, his ambitions in the future, the criticism and more.

According to Amir, the best reply to criticism is to perform on the field. The bowler mentioned that his image which went down because of the fixing incident can only be changed with good performance for the country. The bowler hopes to deliver his best for the country in future and earn respect.

Speaking to PakPassion.com, Amir said “The best way to change opinions about you as a sportsman is by performing well. My focus is on being a good ambassador for my country on and off the field. I am aware that I cannot please everyone, but I sincerely feel that many people have changed their minds about me and I am grateful to them for that. I will continue to do my best for my country and I hope to win more of my critics over in the future with my performances,”

Mohammad Amir thanked Virat Kohli for his backing and pointed out that the two share a healthy relationship. Amir mentioned that the two stalwarts of the game have immense respect for each other. Amir also hailed the aggressive skipper as the best batsman in the world. Amir also stated that the bond they share should be shared between every cricketer which can help to close the gap between the two nations.

“He’s a big name and he is currently the best batsman in the world. Whenever we meet we always greet each other with respect. There is a bond and a friendship between us, a mutual respect and we are always pleased to see each other. He has given me a cricket bat as a gift on a couple of occasions, the most recent being at the Champions Trophy match in Birmingham. I think this sort of bond and friendship should be prevalent amongst all sportsmen of all nations. We are role models and we can bridge differences and bring people closer together,” said Amir.

Speaking about Azhar Ali’s drop catch in the Champions Trophy final that gave Virat Kohli a second life, Amir revealed that he was in tension for a second following the missed opportunity. The bowler admitted to thinking that Kohli will punish them in the match capitalizing on this opportunity.

“You have to be aggressive as a fast bowler. The greatest bowlers have always had that fire in their belly and I am no different. Naturally, I was angry and upset when the catch was dropped and I immediately thought, ‘Oh No’, we could now lose this match as Kohli is such a great batsman and match-winner and he could make us pay for such a mistake. However I was relieved and all smiles when the very next ball I got rid of him,” Amir concluded.