Having played 20 years in Pakistan National team, we can assume that Shahid Afridi is quite a master of the game. He is an aggressive and swift cricketer on the field, being a prominent Pakistani Captain and a fine hitman one cannot simply deny in admiring this former player.
He has been a pillar of strength for Pakistan’s claim to glory in international cricket and one of the finest all-rounders ever produced by Pakistan. Afridi enjoys a huge fan following not only in Pakistan but also in other parts of the world, especially India. Time and again, he has shown his love and respect to Indian cricketers & he too has been getting a lot of affection in return.
There might have been bitter moments between Afridi and Indian players on the field, but he has always been an upright man off the field. Off the field, he has often shared a good rapport with Indian cricketers and has never hesitated from appreciating Indian players. He was recently spotted heaping praises at Kohli and that shows why he is loved so much even in our nation.
Shahid Afridi is the most loved foreign cricketer in India and it became evident once more after a video recently surfaced on the internet in which was seen asking a fan to hold the Indian flag properly while posing for a photo. This made the people respect him 100 times more. Time and again, Afridi proved that he has a lot of respect for India besides the rivalry between the two countries.
After the national flag incident, Afridi is again in the news and this time, it is about Indian skipper Virat Kohli. In a recent interview, Afridi opened up about Virat and the boy, he has a lot of good things to say. He stated, “My relationship with Virat is not dictated by the political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country.”
He further said, “He (Kohli) has always shown a lot of respect and has even gone out of his way to present a signed jersey for my foundation (Shahid Afridi Foundation). There is a lot of warmth and fellow-feeling whenever I have spoken to Virat. It’s not that we get a chance to speak a lot but from time to time, he would drop in a message and I would do the same. I congratulated him recently when I came to know that he was getting married.”
The Pakistani cricketer’s foundation has been working in providing clean and safe drinking water for the economically weaker sections of society.
“I believe as cricketers we can set examples of how a relationship between individuals can be a template for the relationship between countries. I think after Pakistan, the two countries where I have received most love and respect are India and Australia,” he added.
One thing that Afridi loves about Virat is his aggression and believes that supporting juniors in hard times has also helped him in earning respect from youngsters. “Virat is doing a brilliant job. I have no problem with aggression if it is a controlled one. And Virat’s character is different from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was a composed individual.”
Amidst everything, it’s good to see the opponents respecting each other.
Also Watch: Shahid Afridi’s Gesture Towards Indian Flag Is Winning Hearts Of Millions Of Indians