- Mar 4, 2024
- Oct 5, 2023
India and Pakistan collided on the cricket field on Sunday (August 28) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In a humdinger of a match, the Men in Blue registered a 5-wicket win over their arch-rivals. Hardik Pandya was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational all-rounded performance.
A moment of sportsmanship was witnessed by the players of both sides after India’s victory. Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli handed over an autographed jersey to Pakistan’s Haris Rauf.
Kohli, who was making a comeback to cricket, played a vital role with the bat against the Men in Green. After losing KL Rahul for a golden duck, the former Indian captain, though scratchy at the start, kept the Pakistan bowlers at bay and scored 35 runs off 34 balls.
Rauf, on the other hand, was not able to have much impact on the game. He scored an unbeaten 13 with the bat and went wicketless in his four overs. The right-arm pacer conceded 35 runs at an economy of 8.75.
The Indian Cricket Board posted a video that saw the ace Indian batter interacting with the 28-year-old bowler after the conclusion of the match, and the charismatic cricketer signs his No.18 jersey and gifts it to Rauf.
The Indian Cricket Board titled their social media post, “The match may be over but moments like these shine bright. A heartwarming gesture by @imVkohli as he hands over a signed jersey to Pakistan’s Haris Rauf post the #INDvPAK game.”
The match may be over but moments like these shine bright ✨👌
A heartwarming gesture by @imVkohli as he hands over a signed jersey to Pakistan's Haris Rauf post the #INDvPAK game 👏👏#TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/3qqejMKHjG
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 29, 2022
This video has created a lot of buzz and fans on social media have lauded Kohli for his heartwarming gesture. The duo first met in 2019 when Kohli was training with two Pakistani bowlers in Australia to prepare himself for the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the Aussies. During this period, Haris was seen bowling to Kohli and later clicked pictures with him.
The match between India and Pakistan was the 100th T20I for Kohli. With this, he has become the second player, after Ross Taylor of New Zealand, to have played 100 games in all three formats.