Virat Kohli (L) and Sarfaraz Ahmed© Twitter
Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed recalled a hilarious moment involving Virat Kohli where he was left stunned by an answer given by the Indian star batsman. During the pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2019 World Cup, all the captains were invited to interact with the media and Sarfaraz was seated next to Kohli. The Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman remembered the interaction between the two players where Kohli gave a long answer, but he responded with just six words.
“When we asked about the hype surrounding an India vs Pakistan match and how we react when people ask us for tickets, I said you can ask Virat first. I told him brother, why don’t you answer first? And Virat just started and went on. The PC was in England. I looked at him and it was like ‘Bhai kab rukega? (When will he stop?’). He kept using long words in English and all I could think of at that moment was ‘Who is going to translate all of this?’. I kept listening and said ‘Same answer’. I thought this is a simple question but Virat gave such a long answer” Sarfaraz said during the interaction on the Nadir Ali Podcast.
Both captains were asked about the intensity of a World Cup match between India and Pakistan. Kohli decided to answer first and his response took Sarfaraz by surprise.
“Look India vs Pakistan is always a very anticipated match but we keep saying this again and again that if you ask the players, it’s very different to how the fans look at the game. Yes, you feel the anticipation and excitement of the players as soon as you enter the stadium but the moment you step on to the field, it’s professional. A bowler trying to execute his skills, the batsman trying to execute his to the best of his potential. For us it’s just another game that you need to win as a team. Yes it brings pressure because the atmosphere in the stadium is very different. And as I said, you only experience that till the time you start competing in the game. But as soon as you get in there, at the end of the day, it’s a game of cricket for all of us. That’s the truth, that’s what the cricketers from both sides feel,” Kohli said.
In response, Sarfaraz just said, “My answer is also the same”.
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