ISLAMABAD: A show of support between the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team, Babar Azam, and India’s former all-format captain Virat Kohli made the rounds on social media over the weekend, sparking a rare moment of unity among netizens from the two rival countries.
The superstar Indian batsman who has hit a bad patch recently. It has been 77 international innings since he scored a century while a groin injury ruled him out for the first ODI against England. The batter scored a poor 16 runs in the second match against the English side at Lord’s.
In the recently concluded T20I series against England, Kohli could only manage scores of 1 and 11. As India prepares for its T20 World Cup bid this year, fans and former cricketers are already questioning whether he deserves to be in the side or not.
Azam took to Twitter to show support for Kohli and his tweet went viral on Friday.
“This too shall pass. Stay strong,” he wrote, sharing their photo together.
On Saturday, Kohli replied with warm wishes of his own.
“Thank you. Keep shining and rising. Wish you all the best,” he wrote to Azam.
The exchange spurred a wave of positive responses from both Indian and Pakistani Twitter users.
Dr. Nauman Niaz, senior Pakistani cricket analyst, called it “amazing gestures” from “one champion to another.”
Indian user Tanushree said Azam’s tweet must have touched Kohli’s heart since he rarely responds on Twitter.
Pakistani cricket statistician Mazher Arshad observed it was the first time Kohli has responded to anyone on Twitter this year.
Indian cricket writer Vijay Lokapally said the exchange showed the two stars were “true sportsmen” and that cricket was “more than just runs and wickets.”