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India star compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi by Mohammad Amir: ‘Role model even in Pakistan’
Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir compared a player from the Indian cricket team to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Virat Kohli smacked the match-winning four to get his 51st ODI hundred as he led India to a historic victory against Pakistan in their Group A Champions Trophy 2025 fixture, in Dubai. The result put Pakistan on the brink of elimination and then they were further knocked out when New Zealand beat Bangladesh by five wickets on Monday.
Kohli’s performance saw him become the third player to overtake 14,000 runs in ODIs. After the match, former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir lauded Kohli’s impact, and called him a ‘complete package’ while comparing to two of football’s greats, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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‘Why do people love Ronaldo? Why do they love Messi’
Speaking to SportsTak, Amir said, “Why do people love Ronaldo? Why do they love Messi? If I talk about Ronaldo, especially, look at his lifestyle. Look at his charity work, his work ethic, and his fitness. He is a complete package. Likewise, Virat Kohli is a complete package. Why is he a role model for many, even in Pakistan? The country doesn't matter. Whether he is from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, or England-a role model can be from anywhere. For this generation, Virat Kohli is an inspiration.”
“All those youngsters who want to be cricketers, who want to be batters, should follow Virat Kohli's footsteps,” he added.
Chasing 242 runs, Rohit Sharma’s India cruised to 244/4 in 42.3 overs as Kohli reached 100* off 111 balls in the match-winning delivery. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer got a half-century, hammering 56 off 67 balls. Initially, Saud Shakeel’s half-century (62) took Pakistan to 241 in 49.4 overs. For India, Kuldeep Yadav struck thrice and Hardik Pandya took two wickets.
Pandya’s performance showed that he is the x-factor as he also removed Pakistan’s best batter (Babar Azam for 23), and also got Shakeel. Meanwhile, Yadav’s wristspin hoodwinked opposition batters and he was equally accurate as Pakistan batters were left second guessing.
The fixture also had its fair share of controversy due to India not travelling to Pakistan for the tournament due to political tensions between both countries. ICC accepted India’s request for a neutral venue and all their matches are being played in Dubai.
