Pakistan-born Shayan Jahangir's 'ultimate goal' is to play against Virat Kohli

With his impeccable playing style and an incredible level of dedication to cricket, Virat Kohli has inspired innumerable budding talents. So, it was not quite surprising when former Pakistan U-19 cricketer Shayan Jahangir expressed his dream of playing against Kohli. Jahangir, who is currently representing the senior cricket team of the United States of America, said that it is his “ultimate goal” to play against the former India skipper. “To play against Virat Kohli, that's my ultimate goal. Play against him, and show there's another batter on the block, waiting for the opportunities in all these big leagues," Jahangir was quoted as saying to the International Cricket Council (ICC). Jahangir had previously been a part of Pakistan’s U-19 side and the 28-year-old had shared the dressing room along with players like- Imam-Ul-Haq, Hussain Talat and many others.

Maiden ODI ton

Shayan Jahangir recently scored his maiden ODI century during the World Cup 2023 Qualifier against Nepal earlier this week. The USA wicketkeeper played a sublime knock of unbeaten 100 off 79 balls. His terrific knock comprised 10 boundaries and three sixes. His sensational performance, proved to be in vain, as USA had to concede a six-wicket defeat.

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In ODIs, Shayan Jahangir has so far played 10 matches. The batter has 306 runs to his name in this format at an average of 38.25. In the international circuit, the Karachi-born had made his debut against Namibia in November last year. Jahangir has also plied his trade in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) before. He represented the Pakistan International Airlines in domestic cricket. Jahangir has so far played in four first-class matches, where he has scored 53 runs till now.

USA’s performance

The USA cricket team have not had an impressive start to their World Cup Qualifier campaign. Having played three matches so far, they are yet to secure a win. In their opening match of the competition, USA were defeated by West Indies by 39 runs. The scene did not change much in the next fixture either. In their second game, USA faced a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Nepal. They also had to suffer a five-wicket defeat against Netherlands. In their next match, the Monank Patel-led side will be up against hosts Zimbabwe on Monday.