Watch: Karachi crowd chants 'Kohli Kohli', 'RCB' outside National Stadium ahead of Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistani cricket fans outside the National Stadium in Karachi were chanting “Kohli! Kohli!” and “RCB! RCB!” ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The viral moment, took place after New Zealand defeated Pakistan in the final of the Tri-Nation Series.

Despite the historic rivalry between India (IND) and Pakistan (PAK), star batter Virat Kohli’s fan following in the neighbouring country is immense. In a video, Pakistani fans were seen wearing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) jerseys and shouting slogans in support of the Indian star. One fan said, “Mai hu Virat Kohli!” while another added, “Mai Pakistan se hu magar Virat Kohli ko support karta hu.”

Watch the video below: 

On the other hand, Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, is facing criticism following an underwhelming performance in the recent ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa. Babar’s scores of 10, 23, and 29 in the series have made fans and experts alike question his position in the squad ahead of the prestigious tournament.

Also Read: Virat Kohli would have said no to RCB captaincy offer to focus on his batting: Kris Srikkanth

Indian team set to face Bangladesh in their CT 2025 opener

Meanwhile, the Indian squad has departed for Dubai to participate in the Champions Trophy, with the first set of players and support staff departing from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday. India will kick off their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Several players, including Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav, were spotted at the airport. Captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya also joined the squad before departure. 

Meanwhile, India recently announced two major changes to their final squad. Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out due to a lower back injury, with Harshit Rana replacing him, while young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was replaced by spinner Varun Chakravarthy.