What’s the story?
Indian cricket players Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh clicked photographs with two of their biggest (and smallest) fans during the ICC Champions Trophy. The two kids were Pakistan opener Azhar Ali’s kids, and they apparently are huge followers of the Indian trio.
Ali even tweeted in response to their nice gesture and thanked the three players for taking time out for his sons.
In case you didn’t know...
India played Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday (June 18), at The Oval in London. Ali played a good knock of 59 off 71 deliveries to help his team get to a strong total before falling to a run-out.
Pakistan eventually defeated India by a huge margin of 180 runs and lifted their first Champions Trophy title. The head-to-head between the two sides in this competition is now 3-2 in favour of Pakistan.
The details
The former Pakistan ODI captain had apparently requested Kohli, Dhoni and Singh for a picture with his kids. Furthermore, he explained that they might not get such an opportunity again.
The Indian captain and veteran batsmen agreed to meet them immediately.
What next?
Ali’s elder son, Ibtisam Azhar, already is a budding cricketer and has quickly developed love for the game. Interacting with such stalwarts of the game is sure to do a lot of good to the young player’s psyche.
His brother, Azaan, is too young to play the sport right now but loves to watch the batting of Kohli and his team.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final: 5 memorable moments from the India vs Pakistan match that don’t fade away
Author’s take
It is good to see that the aggression and spirit that international cricketers have on the field is not translated into animosity off it. The Indian and Pakistani players shared a warm moment immediately after final, without any hint of bad blood between the two sides.
Both Kohli-Dhoni-Yuvraj’s gesture and Ali’s way of thanking them show that all players at the highest level respect each other. The trio made sure that they could give some of their time to two youngsters, whose day would’ve been made because of the same!
Also Read: One hell of a celebration - Sarfraz given hero's welcome on return to Pakistan
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