Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Should Visit Pakistan Before Retirement: Kamran Akmal

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of the most celebrated cricketers of the modern era, have a massive fan following worldwide, including in Pakistan despite not playing even a single international match in the country. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes that Virat and Rohit, who have already bid adieu to T20Is, should visit Pakistan before retiring from international cricket.

"Virat and Rohit should visit Pakistan before they retire," Akmal said in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com. "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."

Akmal believes that the fan following Virat and Rohit will experience in Pakistan will surpass anything they've seen elsewhere. "The last series between India and Pakistan took place in 2012-13. Since then, the two teams have only clashed in multination tournaments like the Asia Cup and ICC events. The absence of regular bilateral series has left fans longing for the resumption of the thrilling India vs Pakistan contests," Akmal said.

"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," Akmal said.

"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," the former wicketkeeper said.

Virat and Rohit will be back in action in the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The first Test will begin on September 19 in Chennai, followed by the second Test at Green Park in Kanpur from September 27.

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