Kamran Akmal wants Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to visit Pakistan once before retiring.© AFP
Two of the finest batters of the modern era, India stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma enjoy a massive fan following wherever they go. However, Pakistan remains the only country where the two haven't played an international match. The two nations have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a white-ball series. On the other hand, India last visited Pakistan in 2006, but that was before either Rohit or Virat's India debut. Due to the political differences between the two nations, India and Pakistan only play each other in global and continental tournaments.
However, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal wants Rohit and Virat to visit Pakistan once before retiring. Akmal suggested that the love and appreciation the two will get in Pakistan will surpass everything.
"Virat and Rohit should visit Pakistan before they retire. These two are stars of world cricket, traveling across the globe to play the game. Every single fan loves them. They have a massive fan base due to their batting and match-winning performances. The fan following they will experience in Pakistan will surpass anything they've seen elsewhere," Akmal told Times of India.
For the unversed, Kohli did tour Pakistan back in his U-19 days but he was an unknown commodity back then. However, Akmal claimed that Kohli is a role model for fans across the globe, but the reception he will get in Pakistan would be unparalleled.
"Virat is a role model for many around the world, Rohit is the World Cup-winning captain, and Bumrah is currently the best pacer in the world. When players like Virat, Rohit and Bumrah visit Pakistan, it will evoke unique feelings in every fan. Virat has been to Pakistan during his under-19 days, but he wasn't as popular then," he added.
Akmal also went on to say that Pakistan fans love Indian players more than their own players.
"If Virat visits Pakistan now, he will truly see his popularity here. He will receive a different kind of support in Pakistan. No cricketer is more popular than Virat in Pakistan; he has a bigger fan-following than any other cricketer in the world. Pakistani fans love Virat, Rohit and Bumrah more than any of their own cricket team players," Akmal further explained.