The 26-year-old Pakistani leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed fulfilled a long-held dream by bowling to the batting maestro Virat Kohli during the intense India versus Pakistan encounter in the 2025 Champions Trophy held in Dubai on February 23. Despite Pakistan's six-wicket loss against India, this match carries a lot of importance for Abrar Ahmed. Having been previously excluded from both the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup clash in New York, Ahmed seized his opportunity to make an impression in the Champions Trophy.
Abrar delivered an impressive bowling show, conceding only 28 runs in his ten overs and picking one wicket. Crucially, Ahmed's disciplined bowling effectively contained Kohli, forcing the Indian batting maestro to exert effort for his runs. In addition to his solid overall performance, Abrar also achieved the notable feat of dismissing Shubman Gill during the match.
Abrar Ahmed admits challenging Virat Kohli to hit a six during IND vs PAK Champions Trophy match
Fourteen days on, Abrar revealed how big a moment it was for him to bowl to India's batting juggernaut Kohli. He also revealed that he teased Kohli during the match, where he asked him to hit a six.
“My childhood dream of bowling to Kohli has come true in Dubai. It was a great challenge and I took the liberty of teasing him, asking him to hit me a six, but he never got angry. Kohli is a great batter, we all know that. But he is a great human being too,” Abrar told Telecom Asia Sport.
Abrar revealed that post the incident Virat Kohli came up with a two-worded reply which won his heart.
“He said, ‘well bowled’ after the match, and that made my day I have grown up idolizing Kohli and used to tell Under-19 players that one day I will bowl to him,” he added.
Competing in his tenth ODI, the group stage match against India marked Abrar Ahmed's inaugural appearance in the highly charged rivalry between the two nations. The leg-spinner, who has taken 15 ODI wickets to date, delivered a ten-over spell that included 30 deliveries. During this crucial contest, Virat Kohli, who played a match winning innings of 100 runs off 111 balls, managed to score 16 runs off Abrar's bowling.
Abrar Ahmed's admiration for Kohli transcended mere appreciation for his cricketing prowess. He was particularly struck by Kohli's exceptional physical fitness and unwavering work ethic.
“Kohli's fitness is outstanding. The way he runs between the wicket is eye-catching and that's what makes him a unique cricketer,” Abrar concluded.
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