There was love and affection when we met Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, says Pakistan star Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan batter Mohammad Rizwan recently recalled the time when he met Indian superstar Virat Kohli during the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. India and Pakistan had locked horns in the group stages of the tournament where Babar Azam-led Men in Green thumped Kohli & Co. by ten wickets to register their first-ever win in a World Cup match against their arch-rivals. Rizwan and captain Babar had taken Pakistan home while remaining unbeaten in the run-chase.

After Pakistan's victory in the high-pressure encounter, Rizwan and Babar had both met then Indian skipper Kohli on the ground. Kohli was seen embracing Rizwan while congratulating him for his match-winning knock. Rizwan said he was told by many that Kohli is aggressive on the field but it was a completely different experience for the Pakistan batter when he met the former India captain for the first time.

Rizwan also clarified his 'Virat Kohli is ours' comment and said he said it because cricketers are part of one big family and respect each other both on and off the field.

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"It was the first time I had met Kohli. The kind of things I had heard about him like other players told me 'Virat is aggressive and all'. But the way he met me before and after the match was amazing. If I said 'he is our Virat Kohli', it's because we all are a family," Rizwan said on Pakistani journalistWaheed Khan's Youtube show Cricket Baaz.

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Rizwan also spoke about his Pakistani teammates' meeting with the legendary MS Dhoni after the game and said there was only love and affection from both sides when the Pakistan players met their Indian counterparts. Dhoni was India's mentor during the T20 World Cup 2021.

"Obviously, when we enter the ground, no one is a star," said Rizwan.

"There we have no brotherhood or anything of that sort. But outside the field, when we met Kohli, and some of our players also met MS Dhoni, we met with a lot of love and affection. Nothing was different," he added.

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Rizwan also shared the dressing room with veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara while playing for Sussex in the county circuit in England. Rizwan developed a great bond with Pujara while playing alongside him and revealed the duo spend time together with love and he is the one who keeps bugging the Indian batter all the time.

"Even in County cricket, where Pujara is with me, believe me, we live with so much love. In fact, I am the one who keeps bugging him, call him out. He keeps laughing," said Rizwan.

"Similarly, it was same with Virat Kohli as well. When I met him the first time, it was with a lot of love and affection," he added.